Jahn-Teller Splitting in Single Adsorbed Molecules Revealed by Isospin-Flip Excitations

Jens Kügel, Pin-Jui Hsu, Markus Böhme, Kathrin Schneider, Jacob Senkpiel, David Serrate, Matthias Bode, and Nicolás Lorente
Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 226402 – Published 29 November 2018
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Abstract

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements of Mn phthalocyanine (MnPc) molecules adsorbed on (3×3) surface alloys show single inelastic steps at exclusively positive or negative bias strongly depending on the tip position. This is in contrast to conventional molecular excitation thresholds, which are independent of the current direction and therefore always occur at both positive and negative bias. This polarity selectivity is found to coincide with the spatial distribution of occupied and empty orbitals. Because of the interaction with the substrate, charge transfer into the doubly degenerate dπ orbitals of MnPc takes place. The resulting Jahn-Teller effect lifts the degeneracy and leads to an isospin- or pseudospin-flip excitation, the inelastic analogue of an orbital Kondo resonance.

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  • Received 15 May 2018
  • Revised 11 September 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.226402

© 2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Jens Kügel1,*, Pin-Jui Hsu1,†, Markus Böhme1, Kathrin Schneider1,‡, Jacob Senkpiel1,§, David Serrate2,3,∥, Matthias Bode1,4, and Nicolás Lorente5,6

  • 1Physikalisches Institut, Experimentelle Physik II, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
  • 2Instituto de Nanociencia de Aragón, Laboratorio de Microscopias Avanzadas, University of Zaragoza, E-50018 Zaragoza, Spain
  • 3Departamento Física Materia Condensada, University of Zaragoza, E-50018 Zaragoza, Spain
  • 4Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen-Center for Complex Material Systems (RCCM), Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
  • 5Centro de Física de Materiales CFM/MPC (CSIC-UPV/EHU), 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
  • 6Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain

  • *jens.kuegel@physik.uni-wuerzburg.de
  • Present address: Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University, 30013 Hsinchu, Taiwan.
  • Present address: CNRS, CEMES (Centre d’Elaboration de Matériaux et d’Etudes Structurales), B.P. 94347, 29 Rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse, France.
  • §Present address: Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Heisenbergstraße 1, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
  • Present address: Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón, CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009, Spain.

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Issue

Vol. 121, Iss. 22 — 30 November 2018

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