It was demonstrated that mesoscopic relaxations in systems with low migration barriers significantly affected atomic motion in the vicinity of adsorbed islands. Atomic-scale calculations, for Co islands and steps on Cu(111), revealed that adsorbate-induced strains in the substrate made the surface diffusion of Co adatoms anisotropic. As the adatom approached the island side, the migration barrier exhibited marked oscillations. Large energy barriers to the attachment of adatoms to islands were predicted.

Effect of Mesoscopic Relaxations on Diffusion of Co Adatoms on Cu(111). D.V.Tsivlin, V.S.Stepanyuk, W.Hergert, J.Kirschner: Physical Review B, 2003, 68[20], 205411 (5pp)