Imaging isodensity contours of molecular states with STM

Abstract

We present an improved way for imaging the local density of states with a scanning tunneling microscope, which consists in mapping the surface topography while keeping the differential conductance (d$I$/d$V$) constant. When archetypical C${}_{60}$ molecules on Cu(111) are imaged with this method, these so-called iso-d$I$/d$V$ maps are in excellent agreement with theoretical simulations of the isodensity contours of the molecular orbitals. A direct visualization and unambiguous identification of superatomic C${}_{60}$ orbitals and their hybridization is then possible.

References in corpus (2)

• Passing current through touching molecules
• Electronic Band Dispersion of Graphene Nanoribbons via Fourier-Transformed Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy

Cited by in corpus (4)

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• Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states of impurities in a triangular lattice of NbSe${}_2$ with spin orbit coupling
• Direct signatures of $d$-level hybridization and dimerization in magnetic adatom chains on a superconductor