Quantum traps for coupling of fluorofullerene molecules

The interaction of fluorine atoms with Cu(111) surface has been analyzed by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A submonolayer coverage of fluorinated fullerene C60F18 has been chosen to provide a well controllable arrival of fluorine atoms on copper surface. The appearance of F-induced surface structures on the Cu(111) surface caused by defluorination of C60F18 molecules adsorbed on the surface was shown. XPS measurements unambiguously indicate the existence of chemical state of fluorine not typical for CuF2 formation. Superstructure of well ordered metastable clusters consisting of fluorofullerene molecules are formed on the Cu(111) surface as a result of the balance of two interactions: the dipole-dipole interaction between fluorofullerene molecules and the interaction of C60F18 molecules with the two-dimensional gas phase, emerging above the copper surface. Regular surface structure formed by fullerene molecules interacting through collective vibrational mode can be used for entanglement formation between two qubits each associated with ground and excited electronic states of the molecule by applying two coherent laser pulses.