Circular Dichroism in STM-Excited Luminescence on Metals

In a tunneling junction formed by a tip with an asymmetric apex and a flat surface, we find that highly circularly polarized radiation can be emitted owing to excitation by inelastic tunneling. Furthermore, the degree of circular polarization exhibits a strong dependence on the azimuthal angle of emission. This indicates that the geometrical features of the tip apex, within the tunneling gap, can define a chiral system.

By: Amadeo L. Vazquez de Parga (Univ. Autonoma de Madrid, Spain) and Santos F. Alvarado

Published in: Europhysics Letters, volume 36, (no 8), pages 571-82 in 1996

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