Orbital symmetry fingerprints for magnetic adatoms in graphene

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the orbital symmetry of magnetic adatoms affects local resonances and conductance signatures in graphene, enabling characterization of adatoms and defects through scanning tunneling microscopy.

Contribution

It introduces a framework linking orbital symmetry of adatoms to observable fingerprints in graphene's local density of states and conductance.

Findings

Orbital symmetry influences local resonances in graphene.

Quantum interference leads to distinctive conductance fingerprints.

Jahn-Teller effects modify signatures, aiding adatom characterization.

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the formation of local resonances in graphene in the presence of magnetic adatoms containing localized orbitals of arbitrary symmetry, corresponding to any given angular momentum state. We show that quantum interference effects which are naturally inbuilt in the honeycomb lattice in combination with the specific orbital symmetry of the localized state lead to the formation of fingerprints in differential conductance curves. In the presence of Jahn-Teller distortion effects, which lift the orbital degeneracy of the adatoms, the orbital symmetries can lead to distinctive signatures in the local density of states. We show that those effects allow scanning tunneling probes to characterize adatoms and defects in graphene.