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STM Feedback-Loop Line Scan (2D)

Interactive 2D scanning tunneling microscope: a PI feedback loop numerically tracks the exponential tunneling current I ∝ V·exp(-2κd) across a raster-scanned surface, building a live topographic image and a real-time line-scan chart of tip height vs. current, ringing artifacts and all.

Materials Science2DAdvanced60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

A scanning tunneling microscope images by feel, not by touch: a PI feedback loop reads the tunneling current from I ∝ V·exp(-2κd) and continuously re-adjusts the tip's height so that current stays locked to a setpoint, one raster line at a time. This 2D companion sim strips the process down to the two plots that actually matter — a live top-down topographic image building up pixel by pixel, and a real-time line-scan chart of the true surface profile against the controller's tip-height trace and its current, error and gain. Push the feedback gain up and watch the controller start to overshoot and ring across the step edge and the adsorbed-atom bump, the same tuning trade-off every real STM sits between imaging speed and topographic accuracy.

⚙ Under the hood

A 2D companion to the 3D STM scene: a PI feedback loop numerically tracks the exponential tunneling law I ∝ V·exp(-2κd) across a raster-scanned surface, drawing a live top-down topographic image next to a real-time line-scan chart of true height, tip trace and current — ringing artifacts at high gain included.

STMquantum tunnelingfeedback controlPID controlsurface sciencematerials science

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install