title: Creation of an atomic superlattice by immersing metallic adatoms in a two-dimensional electron sea.
abstract: Cerium adatoms, deposited on a Ag(111) surface, are found by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to self-assemble into large ordered hexagonal arrays covering macroscopically the entire surface. We show that the 32 A periodicity of the superlattice is caused by the interaction of surface-state electrons with Ce adatoms and that the large-scale formation of the superlattice is governed by a subtle balance between the sample temperature, the surface diffusion barrier, and the concentration-dependent adatom interaction potential.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Physique des Nanostructures, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Silly
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pivetta
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ternes
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Patthey
authors.forename: Jonathan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pelz
authors.forename: Wolf-Dieter
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Schneider