Maki Kawai, University of Tokyo and RIKEN 
Observing Reactions of Single Molecule via Vibrational Excitation using Scanning Transmission Microscope


Scanning tunneling microscope (STM), since its invention, has been widely used to image materials in atomic resolution. A spatial position in a material can be selected within nanometer resolution taking the advantage of scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). In addition, electrons that inelastically tunnel from the STM tip to the molecule adsorbed on metal surface provide an ability to excite vibration modes of molecules. Chemistry in nano-space can be visualized directly combining imaging, manipulation, spectroscopic characterization, and chemical modification capabilities of STM.

In the talk, I show the use of vibrational excitations to reaction of individual molecules and some details of the reaction mechanisms solved so far.