ElecTrans · Molecular electron transport junctions: spectroscopy of vibrational effects and their controlled manipulation

It is proposed to experimentally study electron transport through molecular junctions and the influence of electron-phonon interaction on the transport, using current-voltage characteristics and inelastic tunneling spectra, while molecular vibrations in the junction are excited with infrared radiation. It has been predicted from theory that the non-equilibrium vibrational distribution will strongly affect the electron transport and that the molecular junction will effectively act as an optical switch. In combination with inelastic tunneling spectroscopy the proposed approach method may well prove to be very powerful in examining electron transport paths in molecules. Apart from simple organic molecules, also a redox protein, Azurin, will be used as sample, to explore relevance for the emergent field of bioelectronics.