Experimental realization and characterization of an electronic Lieb lattice

• Main Authors: Slot, Marlou R, Gardenier, Thomas S, Jacobse, Peter H, van Miert, Guido C. P, Kempkes, Sander N, Zevenhuizen, Stephan J. M, Smith, Cristiane Morais, Vanmaekelbergh, Daniel, Swart, Ingmar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 14-11-2016
• Subjects: Physics - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1611.04641

Nature Physics 13, 672-676 (2017) Geometry, whether on the atomic or nanoscale, is a key factor for the
electronic band structure of materials. Some specific geometries give rise to
novel and potentially useful electronic bands. For example, a honeycomb lattice
leads to Dirac-type bands where the charge carriers behave as massless
particles. Theoretical predictions are triggering the exploration of novel 2D
geometries, such as graphynes, Kagom\'{e} and the Lieb lattice. The latter is
the 2D analogue of the 3D lattice exhibited by perovskites; it is a
square-depleted lattice, which is characterised by a band structure featuring
Dirac cones intersected by a topological flat band. Whereas photonic and
cold-atom Lieb lattices have been demonstrated, an electronic equivalent in 2D
is difficult to realize in an existing material. Here, we report an electronic
Lieb lattice formed by the surface state electrons of Cu(111) confined by an
array of CO molecules positioned with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM).
Using scanning tunneling microscopy, spectroscopy and wave-function mapping, we
confirm the predicted characteristic electronic structure of the Lieb lattice.
The experimental findings are corroborated by muffin-tin and tight-binding
calculations. At higher energy, second-order electronic patterns are observed,
which are equivalent to a super-Lieb lattice.