Spins of adsorbed molecules investigated by the detection of Kondo resonance

Abstract

Surface magnetism has been one of the platforms to explore the magnetism in low dimensions. It is also a key component for the development of quantum information processes, which utilizes the spin degree of freedom. The Kondo resonance is a phenomenon that is caused by an interaction between an isolated spin and conduction electrons. First observed in the 1930s as an anomalous increase in the low-temperature resistance of metals embedded with magnetic atoms, the Kondo physics mainly studied the effects of bulk magnetic impurities in the resistivity. In the last 15years it has undergone a revival by a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) which enables the measurement of the Kondo resonance at surfaces using an atomic scale point contact. The detection of the Kondo resonance can be a powerful tool to explore surface magnetism. In this article, I review recent studies of the surface spin of adsorbed molecules by the detection of the Kondo resonance. Researches on metal phthalocyanine (MPc) and porphyrin molecules will be examined. In addition, the Kondo resonance for double-decker lanthanoide Pc molecules will be discussed. Some of the double-decker Pc molecules show single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior, which attracts attention as a material for electronic devices. For both classes, the ligand plays a crucial role in determining the parameters of the Kondo resonance, such as the Kondo temperature and the change of the shape from peak to Fano-dip. In addition, the spin in delocalized molecular orbital forms the Kondo resonance, which shows significant differences from the Kondo resonance formed by the metal spins. Since molecular orbital can be tuned in a flexible manner by the design of the molecule, the Kondo resonance formed by delocalized molecular orbital might expand the knowledge of this field.