2000/10/05 by Navot Israeli, Daniel Kandel, Israeli, Navot +5
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.cond-mat/0010080
4 pages + 5 postscript figure files
arxiv created 2000/10/05 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
The distinction between absolute and convective instabilities is well known in the context of hydrodynamics and plasma physics. In this Letter, we examine an epitaxial crystal growth model from this point of view and show that a strain-induced step bunching instability can be convective. Using analytic stability theory and numerical simulations, we study the response of the crystal surface to an inhomogeneous deposition flux that launches impulsive and time-periodic perturbations to a uniform array of steps. The results suggest a new approach to morphological patterning.