Insight into action spectroscopy for single molecule motion and reactions through inelastic electron tunneling.
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.
Motobayashi
Kenta
K
Department of Advanced Materials Science, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561, Japan.
Kim
Yousoo
Y
Ueba
Hiromu
H
Kawai
Maki
M