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STM Observations of Helium Atoms Adsorbed on Graphite Surfaces

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Abstract

We present preliminary results of real-space imaging of two-dimensional (2D) submonolayer 4He films adsorbed on graphite basal planes using a cryogenic STM. Below 1K, we observed an additional \(\sqrt 3 \times \sqrt 3 \) atomic corrugation superimposed to the triangular lattice of the B-site carbon atoms of the graphite surface. This superlattice has the same periodicity as the commensurate solid 4He. It disappears on warming from 1 to 2K presumably due to melting of the 2D solid. Furthermore, an energy gap of the order of ± (10 to 30) mV was observed in tunneling spectroscopy measurements associated with the adsorption of 4He.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305, Japan

    N. Mori, C. Bäuerle, T. Kumakura, M. Morishita & Hiroshi Fukuyama

Authors
  1. N. Mori
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  2. C. Bäuerle
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  3. T. Kumakura
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  4. M. Morishita
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  5. Hiroshi Fukuyama
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Mori, N., Bäuerle, C., Kumakura, T. et al. STM Observations of Helium Atoms Adsorbed on Graphite Surfaces. Journal of Low Temperature Physics 110, 641–646 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022543824422

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022543824422

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