Quasiparticle Interference on Cubic Perovskite Oxide Surfaces

Abstract

We report the observation of coherent surface states on cubic perovskite oxide SrVO3(001) thin films through spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy. A direct link between the observed quasiparticle interference patterns and the formation of a dxy-derived surface state is supported by first-principles calculations. We show that the apical oxygens on the topmost VO2 plane play a critical role in controlling the coherent surface state via modulating orbital state.