Bond breaking coupled with translation in rolling of covalently bound molecules

TY - JOUR

T1 - Bond breaking coupled with translation in rolling of covalently bound molecules

AU - Keeling, D L

AU - Beton, P H

AU - Hobbs, C

AU - Humphrey, M J

AU - Fawcett, R H J

AU - Kantorovitch, Lev

PY - 2005/4/15

Y1 - 2005/4/15

N2 - The response of a C-60 molecule to manipulation across a surface displays a long range periodicity which corresponds to a rolling motion. A period of three or four lattice constants is observed and is accompanied by complex subharmonic structure due to molecular hops through a regular, repeating sequence of adsorption states. Combining experimental data and ab initio calculations, we show that this response corresponds to a rolling motion in which two of the four Si-C-60 covalent bonds act as a pivot over which the molecule rotates while moving through one lattice constant and identify a sequence of C-60 bonding configurations that accounts for the periodic structure.

AB - The response of a C-60 molecule to manipulation across a surface displays a long range periodicity which corresponds to a rolling motion. A period of three or four lattice constants is observed and is accompanied by complex subharmonic structure due to molecular hops through a regular, repeating sequence of adsorption states. Combining experimental data and ab initio calculations, we show that this response corresponds to a rolling motion in which two of the four Si-C-60 covalent bonds act as a pivot over which the molecule rotates while moving through one lattice constant and identify a sequence of C-60 bonding configurations that accounts for the periodic structure.

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.146104

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.146104

M3 - Article

SN - 1079-7114

VL - 94

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 14

M1 - 146104

ER -