Nonequilibrium Interface Dynamics:
Fundamental Physical Issues in Nonequilibrium Interface Dynamics

CSIC Building (#406), Seminar Room 4122.
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A Variational Approach to the Dynamics of Stepped Nanostructure Surfaces

Dr. Vivek Shenoy

Brown University

Abstract:   I will present a variational formulation that we have recently developed to study the singular evolution equations that govern the dynamics of surface modulations on crystals below the roughening temperature. The basic idea of the formulation is to expand the surface shape in terms of a complete set of basis functions and to use a variational principle equivalent to the continuum evolution equations to obtain coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations for the expansion coefficients. Unlike several earlier approaches that rely on ad hoc regularization procedures to handle the singularities in the evolution equations, the only inputs required in the present approach are the orientation dependent surface energies and the diffusion constants. The method will be applied to study the morphological equilibration of patterned unidirectional and bidirectional sinusoidal modulations on semiconductor surfaces and the growth of quantum dots and quantum wires via strain-driven self-assembly.