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Experimental Persistence Probability for Fluctuating Steps

D. B. Dougherty·I. Lyubinetsky·E. D. Williams·M. Constantin·C. Dasgupta·S. Das Sarma
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Abstract

The persistence behavior for fluctuating steps on the $Si(111)$ $(\sqrt3 \times \sqrt3)R30^{0} - Al$ surface was determined by analyzing time-dependent STM images for temperatures between 770 and 970K. The measured persistence probability follows a power law decay with an exponent of $θ=0.77 \pm 0.03$. This is consistent with the value of $θ= 3/4$ predicted for attachment/detachment limited step kinetics. If the persistence analysis is carried out in terms of return to a fixed reference position, the measured persistence probability decays exponentially. Numerical studies of the Langevin equation used to model step motion corroborate the experimental observations.

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D. B. Dougherty, I. Lyubinetsky, E. D. Williams, M. Constantin, C. Dasgupta, S. Das Sarma. 2002-09-16. Experimental Persistence Probability for Fluctuating Steps. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.89.136102

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