Electromagnetic Coupling on an Atomic Scale

J. Aizpurua, G. Hoffmann, S. P. Apell, and R. Berndt

Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 156803 – Published 24 September 2002

Abstract

Light emission from a scanning tunneling microscope is used to investigate the electromagnetic coupling (EMC) of a metal tip and a metal sample. Subatomic scale modifications of the tip-sample region cause spectral shifts of the fluorescence as demonstrated for a monatomic step and by variation of the tip-sample distance. For sharp tips the EMC is confined to a lateral range of a few nm. The results are consistent with model calculations of the electromagnetic response of an appropriate tip-sample geometry.

Received 17 May 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.156803

Authors & Affiliations

J. Aizpurua¹, G. Hoffmann^2,*, S. P. Apell³, and R. Berndt²

¹National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8423
²Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, D-24098 Kiel, Germany
³University Outreach, Kristianstad University, SE-291 88 Kristianstad, Sweden

^*Present address: Institut of Applied Physics, University of Hamburg, Germany.

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Vol. 89, Iss. 15 — 7 October 2002

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