Fluorescence and phosphorescence from individual molecules excited by local electron tunneling.
Using the highly localized current of electrons tunneling through a double barrier scanning tunneling microscope junction, we excite luminescence from a selected C60 molecule in the surface layer of fullerene nanocrystals grown on an ultrathin NaCl film on Au(111). In the observed fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra, pure electronic as well as vibronically induced transitions of an individual C60 molecule are identified, leading to unambiguous chemical recognition on the single-molecular scale.
Cavar
Elizabeta
E
Institut de Physique des Nanostructures, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Blüm
Marie-Christine
MC
Pivetta
Marina
M
Patthey
François
F
Chergui
Majed
M
Schneider
Wolf-Dieter
WD