title: Insight into action spectroscopy for single molecule motion and reactions through inelastic electron tunneling.
abstract: We propose a versatile formula that describes action spectra for vibrationally mediated reactions of single molecules with a scanning tunneling microscope. Spectral fitting of the formula to CO hopping and the configurational change of the cis-2-butene molecule on Pd(110) enables us to determine the vibrational energy, reaction order, and transition rate associated with anharmonic coupling between the modes excited by tunneling electrons and the reaction-coordinate modes. The formula proposed here is general and easy to apply to any vibrationally mediated motion and reaction of single molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Advanced Materials Science, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Motobayashi
authors.forename: Yousoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hiromu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueba
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawai