title: Competing classical and quantum effects in shape relaxation of a metallic island.
abstract: Pb islands grown on a Si substrate transform at room temperature from a flattop facet geometry into an unusual ring shape. The volume-preserving mass transport is catalyzed by the electrical field from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The ring morphology results from the competing classical and quantum effects in the shape relaxation. The latter is enhanced by the large anisotropy of the effective mass, and leads to a sequential strip-flow growth on alternating strips of the same facet defined by substrate steps, showing its dynamical impact on the stability of a nanostructure.
authors.affiliation: The Rowland Institute at Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA. chen@rowland.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Dongmin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Toshishige
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada