Single-Molecule Luminescence Spectroscopy Induced by Local Electron Tunneling

Abstract

Chemical identification at the single-molecular scale requires high spatial resolution as well as rich intrinsic information on the nature of the sample. Fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra of individual fullerene molecules excited by the highly localized current of electrons in a scanning tunneling microscope junction are presented. Pure electronic as well as vibronically induced bands are assigned by comparison with non-local spectroscopy and results of quantum chemical calculations, leading to unambiguous chemical identification of C60 molecules on NaCl-covered Au(111) substrates. Future developments are discussed.