Dynamics of a Crystal Surface Below its Roughening Transition

Abstract

Facets have been observed during thermal healing of grooves at a high symmetry surface of a single crystal. This phenomenon is attributed to the crystal being slightly miscut (say 0.1%) with respect to the high symmetry orientation. The height decays roughly linearly with time until the surface becomes flat. The lifetime is proportional (in the case of diffusion at the surface) to the square of the wavelength of the profile