Reduction of surface coverage of finite systems due to geometrical steps

K. Morawetz (), C. Olbrich and S. Gemming

The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, 2008, vol. 62, issue 3, 311-317

Abstract: The coverage of vicinal, stepped surfaces with molecules is simulated with the help of a two-dimensional Ising model including local distortions and an Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier term at the steps. An effective two-spin model is capable to describe the main properties of this distorted Ising model. It is employed to analyze the behavior of the system close to the critical points. Within a well-defined regime of bonding strengths and Ehrlich-Schwoebel barriers we find a reduction of coverage (magnetization) at low temperatures due to the presence of the surface step. This results in a second, low-temperature transition besides the standard Ising order-disorder transition. The additional transition is characterized by a divergence of the susceptibility as a finite-size effect. Due to the surface step the mean-field specific heat diverges with a power law. Copyright EDP Sciences/Società Italiana di Fisica/Springer-Verlag 2008

Keywords: 64.60.Fr Equilibrium properties near critical points; critical exponents; 64.70.Nd Structural transitions in nanoscale materials; 75.70.Ak Magnetic properties of monolayers and thin films; 68.35.Rh Phase transitions and critical phenomena (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2008-00168-y

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