Regensburg 2000 – scientific programme

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O: Oberflächenphysik

O 38: Struktur und Dynamik reiner Oberflächen

O 38.10: Talk

Friday, March 31, 2000, 13:30–13:45, H37

Anomalous shape and decay of islands on Au(110) — •M.J. Rost, R. R.van Gastel, and J.W.M. J.W.M.Frenken — Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory, Leiden University, P.O.Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands

Scanning tunneling microscopy on roughened Au(110) reveals that the equilibrium shape of

islands and pits on this surface is almond-like: each island contains two smoothly curved

steps joined at two sharp corners. This shape has recently been predicted and finds its origin

in the missing-row reconstruction of fcc (110) surfaces (Au, Pt, ...). We use the corner

angles and the island shapes to determine the step energies. In addition we find that during

the decay of an island on the Au(110) surface the shape changes, and that the disappearance

of the island involves the splitting of the layer below the island into two disconnected regions.

The shape change has a dramatic influence on the decay rate of the islands.