Kondo effect and subatomic structures of single U atoms on graphene/6H-SiC(0001)

TL;DR

This study uses STM/STS to investigate the Kondo effect and subatomic structures of single uranium atoms on graphene/6H-SiC(0001), revealing localized 5f states and orbital hybridization effects.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the Kondo resonance and subatomic features of U adatoms on graphene, highlighting the localized nature of 5f orbitals and their hybridization with carbon p_z orbitals.

Findings

Kondo resonance observed within 5 Å of U atom

Subatomic features with different symmetries identified

Localized 5f states indicated by small Kondo distance

Abstract

The Kondo effect typically arises from the spin-flip scattering between the localized magnetic moment of the impurity and the delocalized electrons in the metallic host, which leads to a variety of intriguing phenomena. Here, by using scanning tunnelling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), we present the Kondo effect and subatomic features of single U adatom on graphene/6H-SiC(0001). A dip spectral feature can be observed around the Fermi energy, which is termed as the "fingerprint" of the Kondo resonance in STS; in addition, two subatomic features with different symmetries: a three-lobe structure and a donghnut-like structure can be observed from the dI/dV maps. The Kondo resonance is only detectable within 5~\AA~of the lateral distance from the U atom center, which is much smaller than the distances observed in Co atoms on different surfaces, indicating the more localized 5$f$ states than 3$d$ orbitals. By comparing with density functional theory calculations, we find that the two subatomic features displaying different symmetries originate from the selective hybridization between U 6$d$, 5$f$ orbitals and the $p_z$ orbitals from two inequivalent C atoms of the multilayer graphene.