Clip-on lens for scanning tunneling luminescence microscopy.

We demonstrate and verify the in-situ addition of a collecting lens for electroluminescence experiments to an existing scanning tunneling microscope. We fabricate a simple clip-on lens that we reversibly attach at the sample plate via regular sample transfer tools to collimate the light emitted from a plasmonic tunneling junction to the viewport ordinarily used for optical access. The proximity of the lens to the tunneling junction allows us achieve good collection efficiencies, demonstrating the quick turnaround of converting an existing setup with optical access into a practical scanning luminescence microscope.

High dynamic range scanning tunneling microscopy.

We increase the dynamical range of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) by actively subtracting dominant current-harmonics generated by nonlinearities in the current-voltage characteristics that could saturate the current preamplifier at low junction impedances or high gains. The strict phase relationship between a cosinusoidal excitation voltage and the current-harmonics allows excellent cancellation using the displacement-current of a driven compensating capacitor placed at the input of the preamplifier. Removal of DC currents has no effect on, and removal of the first harmonic only leads to a rigid shift in differential conductance that can be numerically reversed by adding the known removal current.

Weak signal extraction enabled by deep neural network denoising of diffraction data.

The removal or cancellation of noise has wide-spread applications in imaging and acoustics. In applications in everyday life, such as image restoration, denoising may even include generative aspects, which are unfaithful to the ground truth. For scientific use, however, denoising must reproduce the ground truth accurately.

A versatile platform for graphene nanoribbon synthesis, electronic decoupling, and spin polarized measurements.

The on-surface synthesis of nano-graphenes has led the charge in prototyping structures with perspectives beyond silicon-based technology. Following reports of open-shell systems in graphene-nanoribbons (GNRs), a flurry of research activity was directed at investigating their magnetic properties with a keen eye for spintronic applications. Although the synthesis of nano-graphenes is usually carried out on Au(111), the substrate is difficult to use for electronic decoupling and spin-polarized measurements.