[...]... Fluorescence from Single Atomic Clusters and Defects Tip-Induced Single Molecule Fluorescence Dynamics of Single Polymeric Molecules Studied by Fluorescence Microscopy and Related Techniques 8.7.1 Dynamics of Single Macromolecules in Solutions 8.7.2 Single Molecules Moving Through Channels 8.7.3 Migration of DNA Molecules on Flat... studying the mechanical properties of single molecules Single molecules have been an inspiring subject for molecular device studies Electron transportation through various molecular systems can be affected by internal molecular structures and environmental factors, and has 1 Introduction to Single Molecule Chemistry and Physics 3 become a test ground for many experimental and theoretical methods Advances... to Single Molecule Chemistry and Physics We have learned a great deal about molecules from different aspects, thanks to pioneering investigations by generations of researchers In particular, with recent major technological breakthroughs in manipulating individual atoms and molecules using scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and optical spectroscopy methods, the interest in examining individual atoms and molecules... signature of atoms and molecules, in either the free-moving or surfacebound state, has been recorded by various spectroscopic measurements in- 2 1 Introduction to Single Molecule Chemistry and Physics volving electronic, mechanical, magnetic, and optical properties Traditional methods based on the tunneling technique have proven successful in certain domains in this field, and magnetic and optical approaches,... imaging single molecules with a spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit, conventional optical microscopes and spectroscopies can be used to investigate single molecule behavior for very dilute samples The most widely used approach is fluorescence detection, used for single molecule work at both cryogenic and ambient temperatures Last but not least, the enhancement of Raman signals at single molecule. .. based upon structural characteristics and other properties, have become unprecedentedly strong and also practical Characterization of individual atoms and molecules has continued to be a scientifically attractive and challenging task for a long time The behavior of single molecules is closely related to their immediate environment We will compare the uniqueness of single molecules bound to surfaces studied... a test ground for many experimental and theoretical methods Advances in this field could enrich our understanding of the physical and chemical properties of single molecules Recent progress in optical microscopy has allowed scientists to optically detect individual molecules and to conduct single- molecule spectroscopy assessments, which form another frontier of related research These optical techniques... molecules bound to surfaces studied by scanning probe microscopy, and the behavior of single molecules in solutions, using fluorescence microscopy The chemical specificity, structural geometry and other characteristics of surfaces and interfaces provide rich environments (mostly two-dimensional) for single molecules Solutions, on the other hand, represent a different category of experimental conditions,... far-reaching impacts on research endeavors at single molecule scale This effort has greatly enriched the scope of SPM, leading to the development of new microscopy techniques This could be benefecial for fundamental research in physics and chemistry as well as in fields with important application potential As a major category of SPM techniques, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and related microscopies are based on... observations of arrays of atoms and molecules on surfaces, and of individual adsorbed monodispersed species as well The capability of precision control of probes positioned over the species provides us with solid means to investigate various aspects of molecules laying on surfaces It could be considered that assessing the structural characteristics of surface-bound molecules is essentially straightforward . of Single Organic Molecules 174 7.3.3 Conductance of Single Nanotubes and Nanowires . . . 176 7.3.4 DNAMolecules 177 7.3.5 SingleMoleculeDevices 179 8 Single Molecule Fluorescence Imaging and Spectroscopy:. Study ofSingleMolecules 66 4 Single Molecule Diffusion and Chemical Reactions 69 4.1 MolecularDiffusiononSurfaces 69 4.1.1 Thermal-ActivatedSingle MoleculeDiffusion 69 4.1.2 Laser-ActivatedSingleMoleculeDiffusion. 93 4.4.1 Single H 2 Molecules on Si(100) 93 4.4.2 Single NH 3 MoleculesonSiSurfaces 94 4.4.3 Single O 2 on Ge(111), Si(100) and Si(111) 95 4.4.4 OtherMoleculesonSiSurfaces 96 4.5 Single Molecule