TY - JOUR
T1 - Capillary waves and thermodynamics of multisteps on Pt(1 1 1)
AU - Flynn, C. P.
AU - Ondrejcek, M.
AU - Swiech, W.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the Department of Energy through Grant DEFG02-91ER45439, which also supports the Center for Microanalysis of Materials, in which the LEEM is maintained.
PY - 2003/8/29
Y1 - 2003/8/29
N2 - We describe observations of multisteps, up to n=5 steps high, that form on Pt(111) at temperatures above 1400 K. Using step fluctuation spectroscopy, we determine the multistep stiffnesses, β̃n, and so estimate their line free energies, assumed isotropic. Measurements of mode relaxation times τnq, for modes of wavevector q, reveal that β̃nτnq/n2 depends only weakly on step height, n, in agreement with capillary theory. From the measured energies, we infer that multisteps have large free energies of internal motion, such that the net thermal free energy, including capillary modes, undergoes only small changes when steps merge.
AB - We describe observations of multisteps, up to n=5 steps high, that form on Pt(111) at temperatures above 1400 K. Using step fluctuation spectroscopy, we determine the multistep stiffnesses, β̃n, and so estimate their line free energies, assumed isotropic. Measurements of mode relaxation times τnq, for modes of wavevector q, reveal that β̃nτnq/n2 depends only weakly on step height, n, in agreement with capillary theory. From the measured energies, we infer that multisteps have large free energies of internal motion, such that the net thermal free energy, including capillary modes, undergoes only small changes when steps merge.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0009-2614(03)01243-0
DO - 10.1016/S0009-2614(03)01243-0
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0141563252
SN - 0009-2614
VL - 378
SP - 161
EP - 166
JO - Chemical Physics Letters
JF - Chemical Physics Letters
IS - 1-2
ER -