2007/02/28 by María Magdalena Constantin, M. Constantin, C. Dasgupta +6
Physics and Astronomy · #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies #Theoretical and Computational Physics #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1742-5468/2007/07/p07011
30 pages, 12 figures, review paper for a special issue of JSTAT
arxiv created 2007/02/28 · openalex publication_date 2007/07/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Results of analytic and numerical investigations of first-passage properties of equilibrium fluctuations of monatomic steps on a vicinal surface are reviewed. Both temporal and spatial persistence and survival probabilities, as well as the probability of persistent large deviations, are considered. Results of experiments in which dynamical scanning tunnelling microscopy is used to evaluate these first-passage properties for steps with different microscopic mechanisms of mass transport are also presented and interpreted in terms of theoretical predictions for appropriate models. Effects of discrete sampling, finite system size and finite observation time, which are important in understanding the results of experiments and simulations, are discussed.