Over the past two decades, ultra-high vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and single particle laser spectroscopy have made great strides in understanding and controlling nanoscale systems in complementary ways. While UHV STM and associated surface preparation techniques have demonstrated atomic-scale control over nanoscale structures and the ability to modify and measure their associated electronic and magnetic properties, laser spectroscopy techniques have been used to study (and manipulate) photophysics, quantum coherence, plasmonic and even magnetic properties on ultrafast time scales and with ultrahigh spectral resolution. As these optical interactions hinge on the structure and local environment of these nanoscale systems, it is critically important to develop experimental approaches which can correlate optical properties with atomic-scale structure. I will describe our efforts to combine UHV STM and single particle laser spectroscopy to address this challenge, and I will discuss nanoscale systems which are under investigation in our lab.

Argonne Physics Division Seminar Schedule