Electron Quantization in Broken Atomic Wires
Abstract
We demonstrate using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy the electron quantization within metallic Au atomic wires self-assembled on a Si(111) surface and segmented by adatom impurities. The local electronic states of wire segments with a length up to 10 nm are investigated as terminated by two neighboring Si adatoms. One-dimensional (1D) quantum well states are well resolved by their spatial distributions and the inverse-length-square dependence in their energies. The quantization also results in the quantum oscillation of the conductance at Fermi level. The present approach provides a new and convenient platform to investigate 1D quantum phenomena with atomic precision.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- December 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.266803
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1505.00140
- Bibcode:
- 2015PhRvL.115z6803D
- Keywords:
-
- 73.20.At;
- 68.37.Ef;
- 68.43.Fg;
- 73.21.Fg;
- Surface states band structure electron density of states;
- Scanning tunneling microscopy;
- Adsorbate structure;
- Quantum wells;
- Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 4 figures