Séminaire Théorie

Mardi 2 Juin 2015 à 11h00.

Hallmarks of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class elicited by scanning probe microscopy

''Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a fundamental technique for the analysis of rough surfaces. In the present work, the interface statistics of surfaces scanned with a probe tip were analyzed for both in silico and experimental systems that do not belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class. We show that height, local roughness and extremal height distributions of scanned surfaces quantitatively agree with the KPZ class in a range similar or better than recent experimental evidences of the KPZ class using SPM images. The underlying mechanism behind this artificial KPZ class is the finite size of the probe tip, which does not permit a full resolution of neither deep valleys or borders of sharp plateaus. The net result is a scanned profile laterally thicker and higher than the original one implying an excess growth, the major characteristic of the KPZ universality class. Strategies to avoid false positives of KPZ class will be discussed.''