Spilling of electronic states in Pb quantum wells

M. Jałochowski, K. Palotás, and M. Krawiec
Phys. Rev. B 93, 035437 – Published 21 January 2016

Abstract

Energy-dependent apparent step heights of two-dimensional ultrathin Pb islands grown on the Si(111)6×6Au surface have been investigated by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, first-principles density-functional theory, and the particle-in-a-box model calculations. The apparent step height shows the thickness- and energy-dependent oscillatory behaviors, which are directly related to the spilling of electron states into the vacuum exhibiting a quantum size effect. This has been unambiguously proven by extensive first-principles scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy simulations. An electronic contribution to the apparent step height is directly determined. At certain energies it reaches values as high as a half of the atomic contribution. The applicability of the particle-in-a-box model to the spilling of electron states is also discussed.

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  • Received 2 August 2015
  • Revised 4 November 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.035437

©2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

M. Jałochowski1, K. Palotás2, and M. Krawiec1,*

  • 1Institute of Physics, M. Curie-Skłodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 1, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
  • 2Department of Theoretical Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budafoki út 8., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary

  • *mariusz.krawiec@umcs.pl

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Issue

Vol. 93, Iss. 3 — 15 January 2016

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