PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Hupalo

Publications and source records attributed to M Hupalo.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Quantum size effect on the diffusion barriers and growth morphology of Pb/Si(111).

An intriguing growth morphology of Pb islands on a Si(111) surface is observed in our STM experiments: the growth of a Pb layer on Pb islands with unstable heights starts from the periphery and moves towards the center, while the nucleation of the next layer on stable Pb islands starts away from the periphery. Using first-principles total energy calculations, we have studied the diffusion barriers of Pb adatoms on a freestanding Pb(111) film as a function of film thickness. The diffusion barriers are found to be very low (<60 meV), and a bi-layer oscillation due to the quantum size effect (QSE) is observed, with a lower barrier on the odd-layered, relatively unstable Pb films. The diffusion barrier difference between the odd- and even-layered film is as large as 40 meV. The observed unusual growth can be attributed to this big difference in the diffusion barriers due to QSE.

Journal Article↗

Influence of quantum size effects on island coarsening.

Surface x-ray scattering and scanning-tunneling microscopy experiments reveal novel coarsening behavior of Pb nanocrystals grown on Si(111)-(7 x 7). It is found that quantum size effects lead to the breakdown of the classical Gibbs-Thomson analysis. This is manifested by the lack of scaling of the island densities. In addition, island decay times tau are orders of magnitude faster than expected from the classical analysis and have an unusual dependence on the growth flux F (i.e., tau is approximately 1/F). As a result, a highly monodispersed 7-layer island height distribution is found after coarsening if the islands are grown at high rather than low flux rates. These results have important implications, especially at low temperatures, for the controlled growth and self-organization of nanostructures.

Journal Article↗

"Devil's staircase" in Pb/Si(111) ordered phases.

With scanning tunneling microscopy we have found that ordered phases in Pb/Si(111) are one of the best examples of the "devil's staircase" phase diagram. Phases within a narrow coverage range (1.2<theta<1.3 monolayers) are constructed with the rules similar to the ones found in theoretical models.

Journal Article↗

Correlations between the scanning tunneling microscopy imaged configurations and the electronic structure on stepped Si(111)-( 7x7) surfaces

We have observed the dependence of the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaged atom intensity within the (7x7) unit cell on stepped Si(111) as a function of the tunneling voltage. Pronounced differences from the corresponding atom intensity on the flat surface are observed for the contrast of atoms on the low versus the high side of the step and for the contrast between the faulted versus unfaulted subcells of the (7x7) structure. These differences can be accounted for by changes in the electronic structure within the (7x7) subcells adjacent to the step. Calculations of the local density of states and the STM images using a tight-binding method are in excellent agreement with the experimental results.

Journal Article↗

Simultaneous recording of mandibular condylar movement and single motor-unit activity at verified sites in the human lateral pterygoid muscle.

In recent years, understanding of normal jaw-muscle function has been enhanced by detailed descriptions of their complex internal architecture and of the functional activity of single motor units (SMUs). The lateral pterygoid muscle, however, has been poorly studied, although it is thought to play an important part in the control of jaw and jaw-joint movement. The present study is the first of a series of SMU studies to clarify the normal function of this muscle. The aims were to demonstrate (a) the unequivocal isolation of SMU activity from one or two verified recording sites within the lateral pterygoid, and (b) that these SMUs can be recorded reliably together with condylar movement during simple command jaw movements. Recordings of SMU activity were made with fine-wire electrodes from sites within the superior and inferior heads of the right lateral pterygoid during biting or command lateral jaw movements and combined with recordings of condylar and mid-incisor point movement. Recording sites were verified by computed tomography. In four young adults, the activities of 17 SMUs were reliably discriminated at seven recording sites within the lateral pterygoid. The units could be recorded during repeated trials of the same movement throughout a recording session with no appreciable change in amplitude or waveform. Units could also be discriminated simultaneously at separate recording sites--one in the superior head and the other in the inferior head. These data demonstrate that SMU activity can be recorded from verified sites within the lateral pterygoid simultaneously with condylar movement during command jaw movements.

Action Potentials↗