Saw Wai Hla
Department of Physics & Astronomy, Ohio University

Playing Soccer with Atoms and Molecules

One of the dreams of scientists is building structures atom-by-atom; a process analogous to many macroscopic constructions in our world where basic building blocks such as bricks are used. Because of the minuscule sizes of the atoms, such atomic level assembly requires specialized tools. Invention of scanning tunneling microscope (STM) made such construction possible. In this presentation, I will show construction of artificial atomic structures using STM manipulation schemes. Moreover, by combining a variety of STM manipulations with tunneling spectroscopy methods, properties of individual molecules can be investigated at the up close and personal level. Manipulation of chlorophyll-a molecules reveal that four molecular conformations can be switched in a controlled manner. In molecular machine area, I will present controlled rotation of a stand-alone multi-component molecular motor operated by injecting tunneling electrons from an STM tip. These innovative experiments are tailored to address several critical issues covering fundamental understanding as well as demonstration of novel atom/molecule based devices on materials surfaces.