Discrete thinning dynamics in a continuum model of metallic nanowires

Details Discrete thinning dynamics in a continuum model of metallic nanowires Discrete thinning dynamics in a continuum model of metallic nanowires

2006-11-03

arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0611070v2

Phys. Rev. B 75, 205435 (2007)

Physics

Condensed Matter

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

9 pages, 5 figures. Version accepted for publication by Phys. Rev. B. The section on instability propagation has been removed,

Scientific paper

10.1103/PhysRevB.75.205435

Transmission electron microscopy experiments have recently observed gold metal nanocylinders to thin down in a discrete manner: A kink--a step of order of one atomic layer--nucleates at one end and then moves along the wire, leaving a thinner cylinder behind it. In this paper, I show that a similar thinning process takes place within the nanoscale free-electron model, a structural and dynamical model of nanowires that treats the electron-confinement effects exactly while replacing the atomic structure by a continuum. Electron-shell effects, previously shown to be responsible for the stability of wires with magic radii, favor the formation of kinks connecting magic cylinders. A rich kink dynamics including interkink interactions ensues and is similar to that observed experimentally.

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