Physics Colloquium
Friday, October 31st, 2003 4 P.M.

Mei-Yin Chou

School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Quantum Size Effects on the Stability and Growth of Metal Thin Films

It is well known that quantum confinement of electrons in nanostructures gives rise to most of their interesting physical properties. This has been demonstrated in several recent experiments where the size-dependent properties of metal thin films are found to be closely related to the behavior of the quantum-well states. Even thought the confinement is only one-dimensional, it significantly affects the stability and growth of these films. In this talk, I will discuss density-functional-theory calculations we have performed for these metal thin films, including Ag/Fe(100), Pb/Si(111) and various freestanding films. The Magic heights and other physical properties turn out to be quite sensitive to the substrate and band dispersion effects.

Refreshments 3:30 P.M. Room E200 Math/Science Center