title: Inducing desorption of organic molecules with a scanning tunneling microscope: theory and experiments.
abstract: A scanning-tunneling microscope has been used to induce efficient local desorption of benzene from Si(100) at low currents (<100 pA), sample biases (approximately -2.4 V) and temperatures (22 K). A theoretical model based upon first principles electronic structure calculations and quantum mechanical wave packet dynamics describes this process as occurring via transient ionization of a pi state of the adsorbed molecule. This model accounts for the unexpected efficiency and sharp threshold of the yield.
authors.affiliation: Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0R6.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alavi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Patitsas
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Lopinski
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wolkow
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seideman
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004735:Energy Transfer; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000379:methods*; D016252:Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling / Q000379:methods*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals