The ability of the scanning tunnelling microscope to manipulate single atoms and molecules has allowed a single bit of information to be represented by a single atom or molecule. Although such information densities remain far beyond the reach of real-world devices, it has been assumed that the finite spacing between atoms in condensed-matter systems sets a rigid upper limit on information densi...

Graphene, a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms, is a promising material for next-generation technology because of its advantageous electronic properties, such as extremely high carrier mobilities. However, chemical functionalization schemes are needed to integrate graphene with the diverse range of materials required for device applications. In this paper, we report self-assembled monolayers...

The growth and ordering of 5-(10,15,20-triphenylporphyrinatonickel(ii))dimer (NiTPP-dimer) molecules on the Ag(111) surface have been investigated using scanning tunnelling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). At one monolayer (ML) coverage the NiTPP-dimer forms a well-ordered close-packed molecular layer in which the porphyrin molecules have a flat orie...

We discuss the energetics and structure of a laterally contracted Ga bilayer model for the Ga-rich pseudo131 phase of the GaN~0001! surface. First-principles total energy calculations reveal that a laterally contracted overlayer of Ga atoms bonded to a 131 Ga adlayer is energetically favorable in the Ga-rich limit. The calculations also show that the energy of this surface structure is very ins...

A new type of scanning probe microscope, combining features of the scanning tunnelling microscope, the scanning tunnelling luminescence microscope with a transparent probe and the aperture scanning near-field optical microscope, is described. Proof-of-concept experiments were performed under ultrahigh vacuum conditions at varying temperature on GaAs/AlAs heterostructures.

Spin fluctuations are a leading candidate for the pairing mechanism in high temperature superconductors, supported by the common appearance of a distinct resonance in the spin susceptibility across the cuprates, iron-based superconductors and many heavy fermion materials. The information we have about the spin resonance comes almost exclusively from neutron scattering. Here we demonstrate that ...

The unique properties of quantum hall devices arise from the ideal one-dimensional edge states that form in a two-dimensional electron system at high magnetic field. Tunnelling between edge states across a quantum point contact (QPC) has already revealed rich physics, like fractionally charged excitations, or chiral Luttinger liquid. Thanks to scanning gate microscopy, we show that a single QPC...