The ambivalent competition of Coulomb and van-der-Waals interactions in Xe-Cs+ aggregates on Cu(111) surfaces

Abstract

Microscopic insight into interactions is a key for understanding the properties of heterogenous interfaces. We analyze local attraction in non-covalently bonded Xe{Cs+ aggregates and monolayers on Cu(111) as well as repulsion upon electron transfer. Using two-photon photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and coupled cluster calculations combined with an image-charge model we explain the intricate impact Xe has on Cs+/Cu(111). We find that attraction between Cs+ and Xe counterbalances the screened Coulomb repulsion between Cs+ ions on Cu(111). Furthermore, we observe that the Cs 6s electron is repelled from Cu(111) due to xenon's electron density. Together, this yields a dual, i.e., attractive or repulsive, response of Xe depending on the positive or negative charge of the respective counterparticle, which emphasizes the importance of the Coulomb interaction in these systems.

arXiv comment5 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Large tunable image-charge effects in single-molecule junctions
• Adsorption of Xe atoms on metal surfaces: New insights from first-principles calculations
• Adsorption geometry of Cu(111)-Cs studied by scanning tunneling microscopy
• Novel Orientational Ordering and Reentrant Metallicity in KxC60 Monolayers for 3 <= x <= 5
• Subtleties on energy calculations in the image method

Cited by in corpus (2)

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