Toward automatic analysis of random monolayers: The effect of pair correlation

Abstract

The paper presents a novel approach to analyzing random monolayers of sphere-like features, based on power spectral density (PSD) of the monolayer image. We have demonstrated the new method on the example of PSD of monolayer height function. Formal analysis of the PSD for monolayers of spherical, hemispherical, and hemicapsular particles or cavities shows that two components of the function depend on the pair-correlation function. We have determined them for specific-type monolayers at several values of surface coverage. Least-squares fitting of the continuous equation describing the PSD to numerical data obtained from discrete PSD computations provides means to determine particle size, surface coverage, and radius of analyzed area with the relative errors less than 0.3%, 2%, and 1%, respectively. Our results suggest that the radial distribution function has a strong effect on the PSD, which makes the latter a promising tool for the quantitative characterization of particle or cavity monolayers.