Physical Society Colloquium

Surfaces, and the interactions that occur at surfaces, are of critical importance in a wide variety of applications including electronics, nonlinear optics, environmental sensors, catalysis, and biotechnology. They also provide us with a wealth of interesting physics. How do the structure and electronic properties of a material adapt to reduced dimensionality? How do molecules and thin films interact with and modify the structure and properties of a surface? How do molecules and particles interact when adsorbed on a surface?

I will focus on two case studies: the reconstruction of III-V semiconductor surfaces (in particular InP (100)), and the growth and dynamics of metal nanoclusters on a metal oxide surface (Au/TiO₂(110)). Complementary results from photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunnelling microscopy experiments will be presented. In addition to illustrating the diversity of physical phenomena occurring at surfaces, these case studies will serve to demonstrate the wide variety of experimental techniques available to probe the nanoworld.

Thursday, November 18th 1999, 15:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, Boardroom (room 105)