Photon emission from adsorbed C60 molecules with sub-nanometer lateral resolution

We present the first experimental demonstration of spatially resolved photon emission of individual molecules on a surface. A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was used as a local electron source to excite photon emission from hexagonal arrays of C₆₀ molecules on Au(110) surfaces. Specifically, we show that in maps of photon emission intensities, C₆₀ fullerenes appear as arrays of individual light emitters 4 Å in diameter and separated by 10 Å. Comparison with simultaneously recorded STM images reveals, that most intense emission is detected when the STM tip is centered above a molecule. The results demonstrate the highest spatial resolution of light emission to date using a scanning probe technique.