Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy of electron resonators

Abstract

The electronic structure of artificial Mn atom arrays on Ag(111) is characterized in detail with scanning tunnelling spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging at low temperature. We demonstrate the degree to which variations in geometry may be used to control spatial and spectral distributions of surface state electrons confined within the arrays, how these are influenced by atoms placed within the structure and how the ability to induce spectral features at specific energies may be exploited through lineshape analyses to deduce quasiparticle lifetimes near the Fermi level. Through extensive comparison of $dI/dV$ maps and spectra we demonstrate the utility of a model based upon two-dimensional s-wave scatterers for describing and predicting the characteristics of specific resonators.