Dynamics of step fluctuations on Pd(1 1 0) surface as observed by STM

The equilibrium thermal fluctuations of steps on the Pd(1 1 0) surface are studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at room temperature. A sequence of atomically resolved STM images of the Pd(1 1 0) surface was taken at a rate of one image every 370 s. Each image shows the same area of size 200 Å×200 Å and exhibits terraces and monatomic steps. On the Pd(1 1 0) surface at room temperature, individual Pd atoms at step edges can be visible in images. Steps do not move too much on the time scale required for a tunnel image. Nevertheless, it is revealed that step movement takes place from a comparison of the STM images that were taken in a time interval of few minutes. A statistical analysis of step dynamics on Pd(1 1 0) surface are performed.