Atomic relaxations near surface steps on Pt(977) - art. no. 125418

Surface x-ray diffraction measurements and simulations are used to study th e structure of Pt(977), a vicinal surface of Pt(111). Measurements of the c rystal truncation rods reveal the presence of sharp oscillations at widely spaced intervals of perpendicular momentum transfer. Simulations demonstrat e that the main features in the data are due to relaxations near the surfac e steps that persist several layers into the bulk. It is also shown that th e terrace width distribution contributes to the roughness of the system.