Topology induced Kondo effect in hydrogenated Pt nanocontacts

Abstract

It is shown that recent experimental data on electronic transport through Pt nanocontacts in the presence of hydrogen admit an explanation in terms of topological and electron-electron correlation grounds. A model Hamiltonian, which incorporates two orbitals on Pt atoms, a single orbital on hydrogens, and the on-site Coulomb repulsion on the H atoms, is solved exactly, and connected to Pt leads described by a Bethe lattice. When two weakly coupled H atoms are placed between the Pt electrodes transversally to the transport direction (as recently suggested) a Kondo effect related to the symmetry of the Pt-H couplings, stabilizes the conductance around one quantum with a single channel contributing to the current, in agreement with the experiments.