Abstract
Polarons are composite quasiparticles comprising an excess electron or hole surrounded by local lattice distortions—an effect driven by anti-adiabatic displacements of adjacent ions arising from strong electron-phonon coupling. These quasiparticles play a pivotal role in a broad range of physicochemical processes, influencing charge transport, superconductivity, colossal magnetoresistance, surface reactivity, thermoelectricity and multiferroicity, among others. Traditionally, polarons have been studied using ensemble-averaged techniques. Investigating single polarons at the atomic scale is critical to unraveling the correlated electron-phonon mechanisms underlying polaron formation, which however remains a longstanding challenge. In this talk, I will present our recent research on the discovery and manipulation of individual polarons in monolayer atomic and molecular crystals. Our works encompass single polarons and multipolarons , and have identified several novel polaron types, including van der Waals polarons in Sb ₂ O ₃ , spin-flip polarons in MnTe, and Jahn-Teller polarons in molecular magnet. Additionally, we have leveraged polaron manipulation to uncover new correlated states, including a Hubbard-type Coulomb blockade effect and a phason-polaron effect in one-dimensional nanowires. Our studies open a new avenue for exploring polarons and are expected to inspire efforts to harness polaron behavior for tailoring diverse physicochemical processes.