title: Proposed alteration of images of molecular orbitals obtained using a scanning tunneling microscope as a probe of electron correlation.
abstract: Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) allows us to image single molecules decoupled from the supporting substrate. The obtained images are routinely interpreted as the square moduli of molecular orbitals, dressed by the mean-field electron-electron interaction. Here we demonstrate that the effect of electron correlation beyond the mean field qualitatively alters the uncorrelated STS images. Our evidence is based on the ab initio many-body calculation of STS images of planar molecules with metal centers. We find that many-body correlations alter significantly the image spectral weight close to the metal center of the molecules. This change is large enough to be accessed experimentally, surviving to molecule-substrate interactions.
authors: CNR-NANO Research Center S3, Via Campi 213a, 41125 Modena, Italy.
authors: Dimitrios
authors: D
authors: Toroz
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Rontani
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Corni