Insulating ground state of Sn/Si(111)-(square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees.

The Sn/Si(111)-(square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees surface was so far believed to be metallic according to the electron counting argument. We show, by using tunneling spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, photoemission, and photoelectron diffraction, that below 70 K this surface has a very low density of states at the Fermi level and is not appreciably distorted. The experimental results are compatible with the insulating Mott-Hubbard ground state predicted by LSDA+U calculations [G. Profeta and E. Tosatti, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 086401 (2007)].