Collective and single particle diffusion on surfaces

Abstract

We review in this article the current theoretical understanding of collective and single particle diffusion on surfaces and how it relates to the existing experimental data. We begin with a brief survey of the experimental techniques that have been employed for the measurement of the surface diffusion coefficients. This is followed by a section on the basic concepts involved in this field. In particular, we wish to clarify the relation between jump or exchange motion on microscopic length scales, and the diffusion coefficients which can be defined properly only in the long length and time scales. The central role in this is played by the memory effects. We also discuss the concept of diffusion under nonequilibrium conditions. In the third section, a variety of different theoretical approaches that have been employed in studying surface diffusion such as first principles calculations, transition state theory, the Langevin equation, Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations, and path integral formalism are presented. These first three sections form an introduction to the field of surface diffusion. Section 4 contains subsections that discuss surface diffusion for various systems which have been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The focus here is not so much on specific systems but rather on important issues concerning diffusion measurements or calculations. Examples include the influence of steps, diffusion in systems undergoing phase transitions, and the role of correlation and memory effects. Obviously, the choice of topics here reflects the interest and expertise of the authors and is by no means exhaustive. Nevertheless, these topics form a collection of issues that are under active investigation, with many important open questions remaining.