Monte Carlo simulations were made of the dynamics of a B-type step on the (100)-2 x 1 surface. The equilibrium structure of the step was considered to be the result of attachment and detachment processes. Nearest-neighbor interaction energies were considered for detachment from steps, and a simple relaxation mechanism was used for attachment. This simple model made it possible to gain some insight into the effects of the inherent relaxation processes in the system. It was shown that this mechanism played a crucial role in determining the equilibrium patterns that were found in (100) steps, and that effective interaction energies could not be deduced from the frozen-in low-temperature step profile without properly taking the dynamic processes into account.

J.R.Sánchez, C.M.Aldao: Physical Review B, 1996, 54[16], R11058-61