Repository logo
 

How Atomic Steps Modify Diffusion and Inter-adsorbate Forces: Empirical Evidence from Hopping Dynamics in Na/Cu(115).

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Repository DOI


Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Godsi, O 
Corem, G 
Kravchuk, T 
Bertram, C 
Morgenstern, K 

Abstract

We followed the collective atomic-scale motion of Na atoms on a vicinal Cu(115) surface within a time scale of pico- to nanoseconds using helium spin echo spectroscopy. The well-defined stepped structure of Cu(115) allows us to study the effect that atomic steps have on the adsorption properties, the rate for motion parallel and perpendicular to the step edge, and the interaction between the Na atoms. With the support of a molecular dynamics simulation we show that the Na atoms perform strongly anisotropic 1D hopping motion parallel to the step edges. Furthermore, we observe that the spatial and temporal correlations between the Na atoms that lead to collective motion are also anisotropic, suggesting the steps efficiently screen the lateral interaction between Na atoms residing on different terraces.

Description

Keywords

0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)

Journal Title

J Phys Chem Lett

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1948-7185
1948-7185

Volume Title

6

Publisher

American Chemical Society (ACS)
Sponsorship
This work was supported by the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development, the Israeli Science Foundation (Grant No. 2011185), the German Science Foundation (DFG) through contract MO 960/18-1, the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV (EXC 1069), and the European Research Council under the European Union’s seventh framework program (FP/2007-2013)/ERC Grant 307267.