Statistical Mechanical Models and Surface Diffusion

Abstract

Systems of adsorbed particles on relatively inert substrates have shown rich thermodynamic properties (1). There has been good theoretical progress in understanding these systems through the assumption that the equilibrium properties of the adsorbed particles can be understood through the use of relatively simple statistical mechanical models(2). In these lectures I will discuss some of these models and their extension into the nonequilibrium regime. Thus we will be interested in the dynamics of these adparticles. This involves then the use of statistical mechanical models to describe surface diffusion. Thus far there has not been very much work in this area. Initially therefore we must work with models that are somewhat oversimplified. Eventually one can develop models that are capable of describing a wide variety of phenomena.