English

Spiral Evolution in a Confined Geometry

Statistical Mechanics 2009-11-11 v1

Abstract

Supported nanoscale lead crystallites with a step emerging from a non-centered screw dislocation on the circular top facet were prepared by rapid cooling from just above the melting temperature. STM observations of the top facet show a nonuniform rotation rate and shape of the spiral step as the crystallite relaxes. These features can be accurately modeled using curvature driven dynamics, as in classical models of spiral growth, with boundary conditions fixing the dislocation core and regions of the step lying along the outer facet edge.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0511521,
  title  = {Spiral Evolution in a Confined Geometry},
  author = {Madhav Ranganathan and D. B. Dougherty and W. G. Cullen and Tong Zhao and John D. Weeks and E. D. Williams},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0511521},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Physical Review Letters