Abstract
We investigate the dynamics of a compressively strained adsorbed layer on a periodic substrate via a simple two-dimensional model that admits striped and hexagonal incommensurate phases. We show that the mass transport is superfast near the striped-hexagonal phase boundary and in the hexagonal phase. For an initial step profile separating a bare substrate region (or “hole”) from the rest of a striped incommensurate phase, the superfast domain wall dynamics leads to a bifurcation of the initial step profile into two interfaces or profiles propagating in opposite directions with a hexagonal phase in between. This yields a theoretical understanding of the recent experiments for the Pb/Si(111) system.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 126102 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-5 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 111 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- adsorbate layers
- dynamics
- heteroepitaxy
- metal-semiconductor