Ab initio simulations of scanning-tunneling-microscope images with embedding techniques and application to C58-dimers on Au(111)

Abstract

We present a modification of the standard electron transport methodology based on the (non-equilibrium) Green's function formalism to efficiently simulate STM-images. The novel feature of this method is that it employs an effective embedding technique that allows us to extrapolate properties of metal substrates with adsorbed molecules from quantum-chemical cluster calculations. To illustrate the potential of this approach, we present an application to STM-images of C₅₈-dimers immobilized on Au(111)-surfaces that is motivated by recent experiments.