Theoretical investigations of nanopatterning on the Au(1 1 1) surface

Motivated by recent experimental findings, we have set up a model of a stepped Au(1 1 1) surface under the effect of an intense scanning tunneling microscope (STM) electric field. Atoms diffusing across the surface are represented by means of a lattice gas, and their kinetics are simulated by a kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm. Despite the approximations inherent in our simple model, we have shown that a step meandering instability of the same type as experimentally observed can be reproduced.