# Kinetics of shape equilibration for two-dimensional islands

Source: [Kinetics of shape equilibration for two-dimensional islands](<https://www.sota2.com/research/paper/68fa24c42c2a3760193a89ac>)

Collection index: [llms.txt](<https://www.sota2.com/research/llms.txt>)

Data updated: 2025-10-24T09:30:47.009Z

Authors: Pablo Jensen, Nicolas Combe, Hern\\'an Larralde, Jean Louis Barrat, Chaouqi Misbah, Alberto Pimpinelli

Published: 1999-02-05T09:23:15.000Z

## Abstract

We study the relaxation to equilibrium of two dimensional islands containing up to 20000 atoms by Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. We find that the commonly assumed relaxation mechanism - curvature-driven relaxation via atom diffusion - cannot explain the results obtained at low temperatures, where the island edges consist in large facets. Specifically, our simulations show that the exponent characterizing the dependence of the equilibration time on the island size is different at high and low temperatures, in contradiction with the above cited assumptions. Instead, we propose that - at low temperatures - the relaxation is limited by the nucleation of new atomic rows on the large facets : this allows us to explain both the activation energy and the island size dependence of the equilibration time.

## Recorded benchmark results

A research result applies to its stated dataset, split, metric and evaluation configuration. Compare like-for-like settings, preserve the metric's unit and direction, and distinguish paper-reported results from independent reproduction. The best result recorded here is not a claim of exhaustive, current global coverage.

## Original sources and implementation

[Original paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/9902081>)

[PDF](<https://arxiv.org/pdf/cond-mat/9902081.pdf>)