Real-Space Observation of Nano-Scale Inhomogeneities and Fluctuations in a Phase Transition of a Surface Quasi-One Dimensional System: In/Si(111)

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2005 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.116103· OSTI ID:1003075

Lee, G. ^[1]; Guo, Jiandong ^[2]; Plummer, E Ward ^[3]

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1. Inha University, Korea
2. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)
3. ORNL

We report direct visualizations of the fluctuation and condensation phenomena in a phase transition of a one-dimensional (1D) In/Si(111) system using scanning tunneling microscopy. The high-temperature (HT) and low-temperature (LT) phases are found to coexist on the nanometer scale near T{sub c}. Above T{sub c}, 1D LT-phase stripes fluctuate in the HT phase and coalesce into 2D islands with decreasing temperature. They condense to make the LT phase below T{sub c}. Small areas of the HT phase also exist below T{sub c}. The observed temperature-dependent evolution of the nanoscale inhomogeneities is consistent with the theoretical predictions for a second-order phase transition.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1003075
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 95, Issue 11; ISSN 0031--9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
FLUCTUATIONS
SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY
SURFACES
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0065-0273 K
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K