McGill.CA / Science / Department of Physics

CPM Seminar

Electron Roundup at the Quantum Corral and
other Tales of the Atomic Landscape

Michael F. Crommie

University of California
Berkeley

Since its debut almost twenty years ago, the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has been used to visualize the atomic-scale properties of a variety of surface systems. By operating an STM at cryogenic temperatures, it is possible to directly image the microscopic details of electronic wavefunctions with unprecedented spatial and energetic resolution. In addition to its uses as a fine local probe, however, the STM is also capable of modifying the atomic landscape by precisely re-positioning individual surface atoms. I will discuss how the combination of these abilities has opened up new possibilities for exploring the properties of novel microscopic structures, from 2-d quantum corrals to assemblies of Kondo impurities.

Monday, March 27th 2000, 15:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, room 114