Plane-wave final state for photoemission from nonplanar molecules at a metal-organic interface
Abstract
In recent years, the method of orbital tomography has been a useful tool for the analysis of a variety of molecular systems. However, the underlying plane-wave final state has been largely expected to be applicable to planar molecules only. Here, we demonstrate on photoemission data from the molecule C60 adsorbed on Ag(110) that it can indeed be a valid approximation for truly three-dimensional molecules at a metal-organic interface. A comparison of the experimental data supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the full interface and simulations of the photoemission process with a more exact final state enables the determination of the adsorption geometry and orientation of the C60 molecules in a monolayer on the Ag(110) surface. Additionally, charge transfer into the molecules is used to confirm the lifting in degeneracy of the t1u molecular orbitals as predicted by DFT calculations.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review B
- Pub Date:
- April 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevB.101.165421
- Bibcode:
- 2020PhRvB.101p5421M