Quantum Coherent Multielectron Processes in an Atomic Scale Contact
Year: 2017
Authors: Peters P.J., Xu F., Kaasbjerg K., Rastelli G., Belzig W., Berndt R.
Autors Affiliation: Christian Albrechts Univ t Kiel, Inst Expt & Angew Phys, D-24098 Kiel, Germany. Univ Konstanz, Fachbereich Phys, D-78457 Constance, Germany. Tech Univ Denmark, Dept Micro & Nanotechnol, Ctr Nanostruct Graphene, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark
Abstract: The light emission from a scanning tunneling microscope operated on a Ag(111) surface at 6 K is analyzed from low conductances to values approaching the conductance quantum. Optical spectra recorded at sample voltages V reveal emission with photon energies hv > 2eV. A model of electrons interacting coherently via a localized plasmon-polariton mode reproduces the experimental data, in particular, the kinks in the spectra at eV and 2eV as well as the scaling of the intensity at low and intermediate conductances.
Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
Volume: 119 (6) Pages from: 066803 to: 066803
More Information: We thank Tomas Novotny and Juan-Carlos Cuevas for discussions. K.K. acknowledges support from the European Union´s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant No. 713683 (COFUNDfellowsDTU). G.R. acknowledges support by the Excellence Initiative through the Zukunftskolleg. G.R., F.X., and W.B. acknowledge financial support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through SFB 767.KeyWords: quantum transport, quantum light emitter, Mesoscopic systemsDOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.066803