Boosting the STM's spatial and energy resolution with double-functionalized probe tips
arXiv:2303.02406 · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adq6975
Abstract
Scattering of superconducting pairs by magnetic impurities on a superconducting surface leads to pairs of sharp in-gap resonances, known as Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) bound states. Similarly to the interference of itinerant electrons scattered by defects in normal metals, these resonances reveal a periodic texture around the magnetic impurity. However, the wavelength of these resonances is often too short to be resolved even by methods capable of atomic resolution, like scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Here, we combine a CO molecule with a superconducting cluster pre-attached to an STM tip to maximize both spatial and energy resolution. The superior properties of such a double-functionalized probe are demonstrated by imaging the spatial distribution of YSR states around magnetic Fe atoms on a Nb(110) surface. Our approach reveals rich interference patterns of the hybridized YSR state, previously inaccessible with conventional STM probes. This advancement extends the capabilities of STM techniques, providing insights into superconducting phenomena at the atomic scale.
7pages, 3 figures
References in corpus (32)
- The mechanism of high-resolution STM/AFM imaging with functionalized tips
- Long range coherent magnetic bound states in superconductors
- Unified description of inelastic propensity rules for electron transport through nanoscale junctions
- Imaging Pauli repulsion in scanning tunneling microscopy
- Tunneling processes into localized subgap states in superconductors
- Size dependence of the Tc and the superconducting energy gap in nanocrystalline thin films of Nb
- Orbital Picture of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov Multiplets
- Coupled Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states in molecular dimers on NbSe
- Controlled length-dependent interaction of Majorana modes in Yu-Shiba-Rusinov chains
- The local spectrum of a superconductor as a probe of interactions between magnetic impurities
- Wave-function hybridization in Yu-Shiba-Rusinov dimers
- Probing magnetic interactions between Cr adatoms on the -BiPd superconductor
- Quantum Interference between Impurities: Creating Novel Many-Body States in s-wave Superconductors
- Spin-orbit coupling induced splitting of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states in antiferromagnetic dimers
- Superconducting Gap Renormalization around two Magnetic Impurities: From Shiba to Andreev Bound States
- Atomic-scale spin-polarization maps using functionalized superconducting probes
- Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states in the charge-density modulated superconductor NbSe2
- Tuning interactions between spins in a superconductor
- On the preparation and electronic properties of clean superconducting Nb(110) surfaces
- Impurity-induced bound states in superconductors with spin-orbit coupling
- Observation of tunable single-atom Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states
- The Majorana STM as a perfect detector of odd-frequency superconductivity
- Long range and highly tunable interaction between local spins coupled to a superconducting condensate
- Long-range focusing of magnetic bound states in superconducting lanthanum
- Interplay Between Yu-Shiba-Rusinov States and Multiple Andreev Reflections
- Correlating Josephson supercurrents and Shiba states in quantum spins unconventionally coupled to superconductors
- Coupling of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states in 1D chains of Fe atoms on Nb(110)
- Resonance-enhanced vibrational spectroscopy of molecules on a superconductor
- Anisotropic vortices on superconducting Nb(110)
- Tunneling processes between Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bound states
- Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states in 2D superconductors with arbitrary Fermi contours
- Magnetic Impurities on Superconducting Surfaces: Phase Transitions and the Role of Impurity-Substrate Hybridization