DYNAMICS OF HIGH-INDEX STEP EQUILIBRIUM FLUCTUATIONS AS OBSERVED BY SCANNING-TUNNELING-MICROSCOPY

We present experimental evidence for a dramatic influence on the aspec t of tunneling images of the orientation relative to a [(1) over bar 1 0] direction of the steps on vicinal copper surfaces. A model is propo sed which relates these observations to the mobility of geometrical ki nks of the step edges. This model allows one to deduce from the experi mental data the mean emission time of an adatom from a kink on a step oriented near the [(1) over bar 10] direction on Cu(100).