Quantum modulation of the Kondo resonance of Co adatoms on Cu/Co/Cu(100)

TL;DR

This study demonstrates how quantum well states in Cu films modulate the Kondo temperature of Co adatoms, revealing a link between quantum confinement and magnetic impurity behavior.

Contribution

It provides a quantitative model connecting quantum well states to the variation of the Kondo temperature in a multilayer system.

Findings

Kondo temperature varies with Cu film thickness from 60 K to 134 K.

Quantum well states influence the density of states at the Fermi level.

Model reproduces key features of T_K variation based on quantum oscillations.

Abstract

Low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveals that the Kondo temperature T_K of Co atoms adsorbed on Cu/Co/Cu(100) multilayers varies between 60 K and 134 K as the Cu film thickness decreases from 20 to 5 atomic layers. The observed change of T_K is attributed to a variation of the density of states at the Fermi level \rho_F induced by quantum well states confined to the Cu film. A model calculation based on the quantum oscillations of \rho_F at the belly and the neck of the Cu Fermi surface reproduces most of the features in the measured variation of T_K.