By using electrochemical scanning tunnelling microscopy, several processes were identified which controlled room-temperature annealing of the (111) surface. It was shown that these processes were, in turn, governed by the motion of step-edge adatoms and not terrace adatoms. A model for pit motion was proposed which was based upon the random walk of step adatoms. This model predicted that the diffusivity was inversely proportional to the cube of the radius of the pit or island.

D.T.Trevor, C.E.D.Chidsey: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B, 1991, 9[2], 964-8