Vacancy diffusion in the Cu(0 0 1) surface II: Random walk theory

We develop a version of the vacancy mediated tracer diffusion model, which follows the properties of the physical system of In atoms diffusing within the top layer of Cu(0 0 1) terraces. This model differs from the classical tracer diffusion problem in that (i) the lattice is finite, (ii) the boundary is a trap for the vacancy, and (iii) the diffusion rate of the vacancy is different, in our case strongly enhanced, in the neighborhood of the tracer atom. A simple continuum solution is formulated for this problem, which together with the numerical solution of the discrete model compares well with our experimental results.