A continuum mechanics method, based upon the force dipole concept, was presented to study the evolution of adatoms adsorbed on a smooth or stepped surface. The effects of elastic and van der Waals interactions were examined. It was found that the elastic interaction among adatoms usually served as the main driving force for the clustering behavior of adatoms and that the presence of surface defects, such as steps, could significantly influenced the evolutionary arrangement of interacting adatoms.

Simulation of Adatom Clustering on a Stepped Surface. J.Q.Zhang, S.W.Yu, X.Q.Feng, G.Y.Huang: Philosophical Magazine Letters, 2006, 86[5], 277-89