Direct observation of many-body charge density oscillations in a two-dimensional electron gas
Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-145246
- Quantum interference is a striking manifestation of one of the basic concepts of quantum mechanics: the particle-wave duality. A spectacular visualization of this effect is the standing wave pattern produced by elastic scattering of surface electrons around defects, which corresponds to a modulation of the electronic local density of states and can be imaged using a scanning tunnelling microscope. To date, quantum-interference measurements were mainly interpreted in terms of interfering electrons or holes of the underlying band-structureQuantum interference is a striking manifestation of one of the basic concepts of quantum mechanics: the particle-wave duality. A spectacular visualization of this effect is the standing wave pattern produced by elastic scattering of surface electrons around defects, which corresponds to a modulation of the electronic local density of states and can be imaged using a scanning tunnelling microscope. To date, quantum-interference measurements were mainly interpreted in terms of interfering electrons or holes of the underlying band-structure description. Here, by imaging energy-dependent standing-wave patterns at noble metal surfaces, we reveal, in addition to the conventional surface-state band, the existence of an 'anomalous' energy band with a well-defined dispersion. Its origin is explained by the presence of a satellite in the structure of the many-body spectral function, which is related to the acoustic surface plasmon. Visualizing the corresponding charge oscillations provides thus direct access to many-body interactions at the atomic scale.…
Author: | Paolo Sessi, Vyacheslav M. Silkin, Ilya A. Nechaev, Thomas Bathon, Lydia El-Kareh, Evgueni V. Chulkov, Pedro M. Echenique, Matthias Bode |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-145246 |
Document Type: | Journal article |
Faculties: | Fakultät für Physik und Astronomie / Physikalisches Institut |
Language: | English |
Parent Title (English): | Nature Communications |
Year of Completion: | 2015 |
Volume: | 6 |
Issue: | 8691 |
Source: | Nature Communications 6:8691 (2015). DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9691 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9691 |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik |
Tag: | Cu(111); acoustic surface plasmon; excitations; local density; metal surfaces; microscopy; scanning tunneling spectroscopy; standing wave formation; states; steps |
Release Date: | 2018/11/06 |
Licence (German): | CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International |