# Scanning Tunneling Thermometry

## TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel scanning tunneling thermometer that uses electrical tunneling current measurements to achieve sub-angstrom resolution in mapping temperature variations in nanoscale conductors, vastly surpassing current spatial resolution limits.

## Contribution

The authors introduce a new method for nanoscale temperature imaging that significantly improves spatial resolution using tunneling current measurements.

## Key findings

- Potential to map temperature variations at sub-angstrom scale
- Enhancement of thermometry resolution by two orders of magnitude
- Applicable to quantum coherent conductors and nanoscale systems

## Abstract

Temperature imaging of nanoscale systems is a fundamental problem which has myriad potential technological applications. For example, nanoscopic cold spots can be used for spot cooling electronic components while hot spots could be used for precise activation of chemical or biological reactions. More fundamentally, imaging the temperature fields in quantum coherent conductors can provide a wealth of information on heat flow and dissipation at the smallest scales. However, despite significant technological advances, the spatial resolution of temperature imaging remains in the few nanometers range. Here we propose a method to map electronic temperature variations in operating nanoscale conductors by relying solely upon electrical tunneling current measurements. The scanning tunneling thermometer, owing to its operation in the tunneling regime, would be capable of mapping sub-angstrom temperature variations, thereby enhancing the resolution of scanning thermometry by some two orders of magnitude.