Fluctuations and Phase Separation in a Quasi-One-Dimensional System

Enrico Doná, Thomas Loerting, Simon Penner, Mariana Minca, Alexander Menzel, Erminald Bertel, Johannes Schoiswohl, Steven Berkebile, Falko P. Netzer, Rinaldo Zucca, Josef Redinger
2007 Physical Review Letters  
Phase transitions in a quasi-one-dimensional surface system on a metal substrate are investigated as a function of temperature. Upon cooling the system shows a loss of long-range order, fluctuations, and a transition into an inhomogeneous ground state due to competition of local adsorbate-adsorbate interactions with an incommensurate charge density wave. This agrees with a general phase diagram for correlated systems and high-temperature superconductors. The model surface system allows direct
more » ... aging of the fluctuations and the glassy inhomogeneous ground state by scanning tunneling microscopy.
doi:10.1103/physrevlett.98.186101 pmid:17501588 fatcat:2r7pexfombbvddmix7ldz2yqsu