April

Picture of the Month - April 2019

Here you see current insights into the research of the LaMa groups. A collection of the former pictures can be found in the Gallery.

How One-Dimensional Are Atomic Gold Chains on a Substrate?

One-dimensional (1D) wires are inherently unstable but can be stabilized by three-dimensional (3D) interaction with their environment, resulting in two-dimensional (2D) and 3D hybridization of 1D electronic states. The relevance of these interactions, is exemplified by the prototypical Si(553)–Au system, which forms double atomic 1D chains on each mini-terrace. The combined approach consisting of plasmon spectroscopy and first-principles calculations demonstrates the relevance of hybridization, leading to the complete breakdown of the nearly free electron gas model. Due to the coupling of the Au wires with higher dimensions through the substrate, the wires are more appropriately described as an extremely anisotropic 2D object than as purely 1D.

Publication:

• S. Sanna, T. Lichtenstein, Z. Mamiyev, C. Tegenkamp and H. Pfnür,
  How One-Dimensional are Atomic Gold Chains on a Substrate?,
  J. Phys. Chem. C 122, 25580 (2018).

This picture was submitted by Prof. Dr. Simone Sanna.