ATOMIC SCALE TUNNELING MICROSCOPY AND SPECTROSCOPY

The use of advanced microscopies and spectroscopies with atomic resolution is essential to characterize matter at the nanoscale. Our main tool for studying nanostructures at the atomic scale is low temperature scanning probe microscopy. The microscopes enable us to image, manipulate, and detect the local properties of nanoscale objects with picometer resolution under extreme conditions, i.e. in ultra-high vacuum, at temperatures down to 700mK and in magnetic fields up to 3T. We measure electronic, vibrational and optical excitations, magnetic interactions and forces, manipulate single atoms and molecules to assemble functional nanostructures.

We investigate problems such as the epitaxial growth of graphene, its spatially-resolved electronic structure or its chemical functionalization, the investigation of tip-induced electroluminescence of molecules, its Kondo response or the spin polarized imaging of magnetic nanostructures.

Senior Co-workers: Prof. A. L. Vázquez de Parga, Dr. Fabián Calleja 

Key publications
  • “Probing the site-dependent Kondo response of nanostructured graphene with organic molecules" 
    • M. Garnica, D. Stradi, F. Calleja, S. Barja, C. Díaz, M. Alcamí, A. Arnau, A. L. Vázquez de Parga, F. Martín, and R. Miranda
    •  Nano Lett 14, 4560 (2014) 
  •  “Long range magnetic order in a purely organic 2D layer adsorbed on epitaxial graphene” 
    • M. Garnica, D. Stradi, S. Barja, F. Calleja, C. Díaz, M. Alcamí, N. Martín, A. L. Vázquez de Parga, F. Martín, and R. Miranda 
    • Nature Physics 9, 368 (2013).
  • “Potential energy landscape for hot electrons in periodically nanostructured graphene” 
    • B. Borca, S. Barja, M. Garnica. D. Sanchez Portal, V.M. Silkin, E.V. Chulkov, C.F. Hermanns, J.J Hinarejos, A.L. Vázquez de Parga, A. Arnau, P.M. Echenique and R. Miranda 
    • Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 036804 (2010). 
  • “Periodically rippled Graphene: Growth and spatially resolved electronic structure”. 
    • A. L. Vázquez de Parga, F. Calleja, B. Borca,  M.C. G. Passeggi Jr., J.J. Hinarejos, F. Guinea and R. Miranda 
    • Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 056807 (2008).