Atomic-Scale Coupling of Photons to Single-Molecule Junctions

ORAL

Abstract

The study of optical phenomena at the atomic scale is expected to provide new understanding of molecules and their chemical dynamics. The combination of lasers with a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has led to the observation of photo-induced resonant tunneling with sub-molecular spatial resolution for single molecules adsorbed on a solid surface [\textit{Science} \textbf{312}, 1362, (2006)]. Furthermore, the irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses into this single-molecule junction defined by STM results in non-linear coupling by two-photon excitation, rather than the single-photon coupling in the case of continuous wave (CW) lasers. These experiments lead to new opportunities by tapping into the unique properties of lasers and the STM.

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Authors

  • Shiwei Wu

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4575

  • Naoki Ogawa

    • Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan

  • Wilson Ho

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4575, USA