Kondo Temperature of Magnetic Impurities at Surfaces

Abstract

Based on the experimental observation that only the close vicinity of a magnetic impurity at metal surfaces determines its Kondo behavior, we introduce a simple model which explains the Kondo temperatures observed for cobalt adatoms at the (111) and (100) surfaces of Cu, Ag, and Au. Excellent agreement between the model and scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiments is demonstrated. The Kondo temperature is shown to depend on the occupation of the d level determined by the hybridization between the adatom and the substrate with a minimum around single occupancy.