Lateral interactions between O atoms on Ru(0001)
Abstract
Extracting statistical data from STM images is usually limited by the lack of available data and their convenient extraction from the STM images. For the system O/Ru(0001) we performed a computerized evaluation of several extended time series of STM images which were taken with our fast STM (20 frames/s). It was thus possible to identify the individual atoms in successive frames, from which hopping events of atoms with different local coordinations (with respect to their neighbors) could be analyzed. This allowed the extraction of rates for single jumps of free atoms as well as for the detachment from and reattachment to (2x2) islands, which are formed at room temperature and submonolayer coverages. From this we derived a pairwise interaction potential as a function of O-O distance, depicting a minimum of about -40 meV at a separation of 2 lattice constants. Beyond this minimum the potential levels off steeply within one lattice constant.
- Publication:
-
APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- March 1998
- Bibcode:
- 1998APS..MAR.I2809S