Vibration-assisted electron tunneling in C₁₄₀ single-molecule transistors

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We measure electron tunneling in single-molecule transistors made from C₁₄₀, a molecule with a mass-spring-mass geometry chosen as a model system to study electron-vibration coupling. We observe vibration-assisted tunneling at an energy corresponding to the stretching mode of C₁₄₀. Molecular modeling provides explanations for why this mode couples more strongly to electron tunneling than the other internal modes of the molecule. We make comparisons between the observed tunneling rates and those expected from the Franck-Condon model.