A theoretical investigation was made of the self-diffusion of 1-dimensional adatom clusters (3 to 5 atoms) on reconstructed (110)(2 x 1) surfaces. Single clusters were considered, as well as collective processes in which additional atoms were present in neighbouring rows of the (110)(2 x 1) surface. Activation barriers and pre-exponential factors were deduced from the local vibrational density of states for several diffusion mechanisms and configurations. The activation barriers, for this and other metals, indicated that the geometry of the rough anisotropic surface played a key role. The pre-factors were found to be of normal magnitude; 10-3cm2/s. Additional atoms in neighbouring rows led to a slight lowering of the activation barriers, while the pre-factors were not changed significantly.

Self-Diffusion of One-Dimensional Clusters on FCC (110)(2 × 1) Surfaces of Pt, Ag, Cu and Ni. U.Kürpick: Physical Review B, 2001, 63[4], 045409 (5pp)