Tunneling into Clean Heavy Fermion Compounds: Origin of the Fano Line Shape

P. Wölfle, Y. Dubi, and A. V. Balatsky
Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 246401 – Published 6 December 2010

Abstract

Recently observed tunneling spectra on clean heavy-fermion compounds show a lattice periodic Fano line shape similar to what is observed in the case of tunneling to a Kondo ion adsorbed at the surface. We show that the translation symmetry of a clean surface in the case of weakly correlated metals leads to a tunneling spectrum which shows a hybridization gap but does not have a Fano line shape. By contrast, in a strongly correlated heavy-fermion metal the heavy quasiparticle states will be broadened by interaction effects. The hybridization gap is completely filled in this way, and an ideal Fano line shape of width 2TK results. In addition, we discuss the possible influence of the tunneling tip on the surface, in (i) leading to additional broadening of the Fano line and (ii) enhancing the hybridization locally, hence adding to the impurity type behavior. The latter effects depend on the tip-surface distance.

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  • Received 30 July 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.246401

© 2010 The American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

P. Wölfle1, Y. Dubi2, and A. V. Balatsky2,3

  • 1Institute for Theory of Condensed Matter and Center for Functional Nanostructures, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, D-76128 Karlsruhe, Germany
  • 2Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
  • 3Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA

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Vol. 105, Iss. 24 — 10 December 2010

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