Theory of elastic and inelastic tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy: CO on Cu revisited.
Based on density functional calculations of an ordered CO structure and a CO dimer on Cu(111), we show that the Tersoff-Hamann approach to tunnelling in a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) junction and its generalization to vibrational inelastic tunnelling give a useful description of observed STM images and vibrational spectra and microscopy. In particular, this approach provides new physical understanding of vibrational inelastic tunnelling that should not only be useful for the development of single molecule vibrational spectroscopy and microscopy but also of single-bond making and breaking by inelastic electron tunnelling in an STM junction.
Department of Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Gothenburg, Sweden. tfymp@fy.chalmers.se
Mats
M
Persson
D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D004583:Electrons; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D016252:Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling; D008956:Models, Chemical; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013499:Surface Properties
D003300:Copper; D002248:Carbon Monoxide