SPM-based quantum defect characterization in one- and two-dimensional materials

Scanning probe microscopy is a powerful tool to study quantum defects in low-dimensional materials. In this talk, I will present the bottom-up synthesis of rationally designed quantum dots in one-dimensional graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) that host unpaired electrons or pairs of correlated electrons. Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy reveals the magnetic fingerprints of the correlated states, while differential conductance mapping provides images of the orbitals of the quantum dots. Subsequently, I will show how similar defects or "color centers" can also be synthesized in transition metal dichalcogenides like tungsten disulfide, adding a whole new dimension to the presentation. I will briefly highlight clever lockin amplification techniques and computational chemistry tools to bridge the conceptual gap between the one- and two-dimensional materials (living in the realm of Bloch waves) and zero-dimensional defects.