title: Adatom ascending at step edges and faceting on fcc metal (110) surfaces.
abstract: Using first-principles total-energy calculations, we show that an adatom can easily climb up at monatomic-layer-high steps on several representative fcc metal (110) surfaces via a place exchange mechanism. Inclusion of such novel adatom ascending processes in kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of Al(110) homoepitaxy as a prototypical model system can lead to the existence of an intriguing faceting instability, whose dynamical evolution and kinetic nature are explored in comparison with experimental observations.
authors.affiliation: International Center for Quantum Structures and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wenguang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buatier de Mongeot
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Valbusa
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhenyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang