Theory of Transport Through a Single Atomic Junction

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Abstract
A theory of transport properties through a single atomic junction consisting of a single atom and two electrodes is presented. Such an atomic junction is realized with a system of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip, a single atom located at the tip apex and a sample surface. Electron tunneling between an atom and an electrode through a vacuum potential barrier is governed simultaneously by the Coulomb potential (Coulomb blockade effect) and Pauli exclusion principle due to an atomic discrete energy spectrum. Measurement of conductance oscillation due to the Coulomb blockade effect and Pauli principle in such a system allows one to determine the highest occupied energy level and its degeneracy of the atom as well as the local work function of the tip apex and the band gap of the sample surface.