Spontaneous emission of an atom placed near the aperture of a scanning microscope

Analytic expressions in the quasi-static approximation are obtained for the spontaneous decay rates of an atom placed near the circular aperture of a scanning microscope. The results obtained show not only that the spontaneous decay rates increase substantially near the aperture edge but also that the atomic decay appreciably slows down near the aperture center if the vector of dipole transition moment lies in the aperture plane.     

Focusing of an atomic beam by a Fresnel atom microlens

Focusing of an atomic beam by a Fresnel atom microlens formed by an optical field diffracted by an aperture whose size is comparable to or greater than the radiation wavelength is considered. It is shown that the dipole gradient force enables one to focus the atomic beam to a spot of about 10 nm in diameter. The focusing properties of a Fresnel atom microlens are analyzed within a model describing the dipole interaction of rubidium atoms with monochromatic radiation near the D-line.     

Atomic beam focusing by a near-field atomic microlens

Atomic beam focusing by an atomic microlens formed by the optical field diffracted from a circular aperture in a metallic screen is considered for an aperture diameter smaller than the wavelength of the field. Analytic expressions are derived for the dipole gradient force acting on an atom in the field of diffracted radiation. It is shown that the action of the gradient force makes it possible to focus the atomic beam into a spot with a diameter on the order of a few nanometers. Numerical estimates are obtained for the focusing properties of the atomic microlens in the model describing the dipole interaction of Rb atoms with laser radiation in the vicinity of the D line.     

STM-mediated atom motion: a Co atom and mixed CoCu<Subscript>n</Subscript> chains on a Cu(111) surface

Performing atomic scale simulations, we study the effect of the scanning tunneling microscopy tip on atom motion on a metal surface at zero bias voltage. We concentrate on a Co atom and mixed CoCu _n (n ? 68) chains on a Cu(111) surface. It is revealed that the atom motion can be tuned by adjusting the tip-substrate distance. The change in the potential landscape induced by the tip is found to depend on the tip height. In the presence of the tip, the Co atom can freely jump from the fcc site to the hcp site or vice versa when putting the tip above the adatom at a certain height. For the mixed CoCu _n chains on the Cu(111) surface, the diffusion barrier of the end Co atom from the fcc site to the nearby hcp site increases with the increasing chain length and reaches the limit when the chain length is beyond CoCu₇ without the tip. Especially, the short chains can perform a collective motion with the help of the tip. The importance of the relaxation induced by the tip-adatom interaction is demonstrated.     

Spontaneous emission of an atom placed near a prolate nanospheroid

The frequency shift and linewidth variation of an atomic oscillator placed next to a prolate dielectric or metal spheroid are found within the framework of the classical approach. Both the frequency shift and linewidth are shown to be substantially dependent on the location of the atom and the form of the nanospheroid and capable of reaching very high values near the surface of the nanospheroid under plasmon (polariton) resonance conditions. The predictions are compared with those found for spherical and cylindrical geometries. The prolate spheroid is treated as a model of a needle tip in apertureless optical scanning microscopy. Effects of sharpness of interaction between the nanospheroid tip and atoms are considered. Received 2 January 2002 and Received in final form 3 April 2002 Published online 28 June 2002     

Can atomic force microscopy achieve atomic resolution in contact mode?

Atomic force microscopy operating in the contact mode is studied using total-energy pseudopotential calculations. It is shown that, in the case of a diamond tip and a diamond surface, it is possible for a tip terminated by a single atom to sustain forces in excess of 30 nN. It is also shown that imaging at atomic resolution may be limited by blunting of the tip during lateral scanning.     

General theory of microscopic dynamical response in surface probe microscopy: from imaging to dissipation

We present a general theory of atomistic dynamical response in surface probe microscopy when two solid surfaces move with respect to each other in close proximity, when atomic instabilities are likely to occur. These instabilities result in a bistable potential energy surface, leading to temperature dependent atomic scale topography and damping (dissipation) images. The theory is illustrated on noncontact atomic force microscopy and enables us to calculate, on the same footing, both the frequency shift and the excitation signal amplitude for tip oscillations. We show, using atomistic simulations, how dissipation occurs through reversible jumps of a surface atom between the minima when a tip is close to the surface, resulting in dissipated energies of 1.6 eV. We also demonstrate that atomic instabilities lead to jumps in the frequency shift that are smoothed out with increasing temperature.     

Reversal of atomic contrast in scanning probe microscopy on (111) metal surfaces

We study the origin of atomic contrast on Cu(111) and Pt(111) surfaces probed by a non-contact atomic force microscope and scanning tunnelling microscope. First-principles simulations of the interaction between the atoms of the scanning tip and those of the probed surface show a dependence of the resulting contrast on the tip-sample distance and reveal a close relation between contrast changes and relaxation of atomic positions in both the tip and the sample. Contrast reversion around the distance where the short-range attractive atomic force reaches its maximum is predicted for both types of microscopies. We also demonstrate a relation between the maximal attractive force in a F-z atomic force spectroscopy and the chemical identity of the apex atom on the imaging tip.     

Modification of AFM Tips for Facilitating Picking-up of Nanoparticles

The radius of atomic force microscope (AFM) tip is a key factor that influences nonspecific interactions between AFM tip and nanoparticles. Generally, a tip with larger radius contributes to a higher efficiency of picking up nanoparticles. We provide two methods for modifying the AFM tip: one is to wear a tip apex on a solid substrate and the other is to coat a tip with poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). Both the approaches can enhance the adhesion force between the tip and nanoparticles by increasing tip radius. The experimental results show that a modified tip, compared to an unmodified one, achieves six-fold efficiency improvement in the capture of targeted colloidal gold nanoparticles.     

Confinement of the field electron emission to atomic sites on ultra sharp tips

The spatially controlled field assisted etching method for sharpening metallic tips, in a field ion microscope (FIM), is used to study the evolution of the field emission when the tip apex radius is decreased below 1 nm. Unlike the conventional image formation in a field emission microscope (FEM), we demonstrate that at this scale the field emission is rather confined to atomic sites. A single atom apex fabricated at the end of such tips exhibits an outstanding brightness compared to other atomic tips. The measurements have been repeated for two double atom tips, with different atom-atom separations, and images of atomic field emission localization have also been obtained. We have found that the field emission intensity alternates between adjacent atoms when the applied voltage is gradually increased beyond a threshold value.     

Al-doped ZnO: Electronic, electrical and structural properties

Changes in structural, electrical and electronic properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) due to Al doping are studied using a quantum-chemical approach based on the Hartree-Fock theory. A periodic supercell of 128 atoms has been exploited throughout the study. The atomic parameters for Zn atom were obtained by reproducing the main properties of ZnO crystal as well as the first three ionization potentials of Zn atom. The perturbation imposed by Al atom incorporation leads to the atomic relaxation, which is computed and discussed in detail. A novel effect of electron density redistribution between different atomic orbitals within the same atom has been found. This phenomenon influences atomic rearrangement near Al impurity. The Al doping generates a free electron in the conduction band, which can be considered as a large radius electron polaron increasing the n-type electrical conductivity in the crystal in agreement with the known experimental data. The obtained small increase in the band-gap width due to the impurity incorporation resolves existing experimental debates on this point.     

Imitation of non-contact mode while scanning in the presence of an electric double layer?

Non-contact atomic force microscopy (NCAFM) minimizes the physical interaction between the AFM tip and the surface of interest. Several recent studies have reported observation of single atom defects using this technique. The repulsive force is presumably the primary interatomic force (cf. our paper on pseudo-non-contact mode in this issue) responsible for the reported atomic resolution in these studies. The combination of these factors, minimal tip–sample deformation and repulsive force interaction, are responsible for the observation of the single atom defects. In the present study, we show that similar resolution can be achieved utilizing the same two factors but which employs scanning in a surfactant. The method decreases the tip–sample interaction by eliminating the attractive forces between the tip and sample. The surfactant solution induces an electrical double-layer (EDL) on the surface of the tip and sample. This EDL creates additional repulsion that is distributed over a large area, and hence does not contribute noticeably to the image contrast during scanning. However, it does compensate for the high pressures normally experienced by the tip in the absence of surfactant. In addition, the presence of the EDL enhances tip stability during the image scan. This method has been tested on surfaces of such minerals as mica, chlorite, and anhydrite.     

Tight focus of an azimuthally polarized and amplitude-modulated annular multi-Gaussian beam

We investigate the focusing properties of an azimuthally polarized and amplitude modulated annular multi Gaussian beam by a high numerical aperture (NA) lens based on vector diffraction theory. We observe that our proposed system generates a subwavelength focal hole of 0.46λ having large uniform focal depth of 36λ without any annular obstruction. This kind of nondiffracting focal hole is called dark channel, which may have applications in atom optical experiments, such as with atomic lenses, atom traps, and atom switches.     

Entanglement dynamics and quasiprobability distribution for the degenerate Raman process

In this paper, we consider the model which consists of a degenerate Raman process involving two degenerate Rydberg energy levels of an atom interacting with a single-mode cavity field. The influence of the atomic coherence on the von Neumann entropy of the atom and the atomic inversion is investigated. It is shown that the atomic coherence decreases the amount of atom-field entanglement. It is also found that the collapse and revival times are independent of the atomic coherence, while the amplitude of the revivals is sensitive to this coherence. Moreover, the Q function and the entropy squeezing of the field are examined. Some new conclusions can be obtained.     

Signature of tip electronic states on tunneling spectra

The influence of STM tip electronic states on the electron transport through an atomic object on a surface is studied both experimentally and theoretically. We present scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) experimental results on Ag islands with two, blunt and sharp, STM tips. The data taken with the sharp tip have an additional peak at positive bias which corresponds to the tip apex atom state. We show that sudden tip sharpness variation and corresponding I(V) characteristic change may help to differentiate between electronic states of the tip and the sample. The experimental data are discussed and compared with theoretical calculations performed for two different tips. The current and differential conductance calculations are carried out by means of the Green's function technique and a tight-binding Hamiltonian.     

Reliable Lateral Manipulation of Single Adatom on Metal fcc（lll） Surfaces with a Single-Atom Tip

Using molecular statistics simulations based on the embedded atom method potential, we investigate the reliability of the lateral manipulation of single Pt adatom on Pt（111） surface with a single-atom tip for different tip heights （tip-surface distance） and tip orientations. In the higher tip-height range, tip orientation has little influence on the reliability of the manipulation, and there is an optimal manipulation reliability in this range. In the lower tip- height range the reliability is sensitive to the tip orientation, suggesting that we can obtain a better manipulation reliability with a proper tip orientation. These results can also be extended to the lateral manipulation of Pd adatom on P d （111） surface.     

Theoretical Study on the Capillary Force between an Atomic Force Microscope Tip and a Nanoparticle

Considering that capillary force is one of the most important forces between nanoparticles and atomic force microscope （AFM） tips in ambient atmosphere, we develop an analytic approach on the capillary force between an AFM tip and a nanoparticle. The results show that the capillary forces are considerably affected by the geometry of the AFM tip, the humidity of the environment, the vertical distance between the AFM tip and the nanoparticle, as well as the contact angles of the meniscus with an AFM tip and a nanoparticle. It is found that the sharper the AFM tip, the smaller the capillary force. The analyses and results are expected to be helpful for the quantitative imaging and manipulating of nanoparticles by AFMs.     

The interaction of a gold atom with carbon nanohorn and carbon nanotube tips and their complexes with a CO molecule: A first principle calculation

The interactions of a gold atom with: (a) a single-wall carbon nanohorn (SWNH) conic tip; (b) with a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) tip; and (c) their complexes with a CO molecule were studied using first-principle calculations based on density functional theory. The analysis of the pyramidalization angle (θ_p) as well as the π-orbital misalignment angles indicate that there should be many reactive carbon sites on the tips of SWNH and SWNT. It was found that SWNH provides reactive sites that can more selectively interact with the target atom. We identified five sites on both the SWNT tip and the nanohorn where attachment of a gold atom leads to a stable complex. This metal is found to be bi-coordinated with the tip of SWNH, while it is mono-coordinated with the SWNT tip. The largest interaction energies are –10.75 kcal/mol and –16.17 kcal/mol, respectively. The CO probe molecule binds to Au on the Au/SWNH or Au/SWNT tips with interaction energies of –22.34 and –18.29 kcal/mol, respectively. The main contributions of the interaction with both carbon nanostructures stems from σ-donation and π-backbonding. The results suggest that SWNHs could be one of the promising candidates for the development of high-specifity nanosensors.     

带金属尖四棱锥小孔光探针光斑近场分布数值模拟

采用时域有限差分法(FDTD)研究了带金属尖四棱锥小孔光探针光斑近场分布特性,分析了金属尖的长度、尖端半径及距离小孔位置等因素对近场电场分布的影响.讨论了该类光探针的电磁波通过等离子体激元方式从小孔传输到金属尖的机理.Taminiau等人用不同方法获得的计算结果在本文的计算结果中得到了印证.在此基础上,本文重点分析、讨论了Pohl等人在1984—1986年获得20—25nm高分辨率图像的原由,讨论了该实验系统的成像机理和类型的归属.计算结果表明:Pohl等人的实验系统成像机理已离开小孔径扫描近场光学显微镜类型,报告认为应归属金属尖散射扫描近场光学显微镜一类.本结果对设计性能优良的光探针具有参考意义.     

Atomic-scale force-vector fields

The magnitude and direction of forces acting between individual atoms as a function of their relative position can be described by atomic-scale force-vector fields. We present a noncontact atomic force microscopy based determination of the force fields between an atomically sharp tip and the (001) surface of a KBr crystal in conjunction with atomistic simulations. The direct overlap of experiment and simulation allows identification of the frontmost tip atom and of the surface sublattices. Superposition of vertical and lateral forces reveals the spatial orientation of the interatomic force vectors.