State-of-the-Art Scanning Tunneling Microscopy/Spectroscopy for the Study of Unconventional Superconductors

The Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM), first developed in 1981, has evolved into a sophisticated tool that can reveal surface structure at the atomic level, as well as the local electronic density of states (DOS). It has become one of the most important tools for the study of unconventional superconductivity, offering unprecedented imaging of the pairing gap symmetry, Abrikosov vortex structure, multiband superconductivity and impurity bound states. These advances require stringent control of vibration isolation along with operation at millikelvin temperatures and high magnetic fields. This talk will provide a look into the development and operation of such an STM as well as provide examples of its utility to understand cuprate superconductors, MgB2, and the recently discovered Fe-based superconductors.