POSSIBLE EXISTENCE OF QUASI-ONE-DIMENSIONAL PROPAGATION OF ELECTRON WAVES ON A RECONSTRUCTED AU(111) SURFACE

Standing-wave formation of Schockley surface-state electrons was obser ved on an Au(111)-(22 x root 3) reconstructed surface using a low-temp erature scanning tunneling microscope at ca 30 K. Strong effects of th e long-range ''herringbone'' reconstruction on the formation of standi ng waves in the Fermi-level surface-stare electron density were clarif ied. Significant anisotropy observed in the formation of standing wave s suggests the important role of the reconstructed structures on the p ropagation and interference of the surface-slate electron waves. Gener ally, more enhanced modulations in the surface-state local-density-of- states were observed along the pairwise soliton walls than in other re gions. This suggests the possible existence of quasi one-dimensional w ave propagation paths along the soliton walls. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scien ce B.V.