Silicon atoms on a silicon surface organize in pairs that can assume two different positions like a seesaw. The interaction between the seesaws leads to long-range and direction-dependent order. (IMAGE)

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Silicon atoms on a silicon surface organize in pairs that can assume two different positions like a seesaw. The interaction between the seesaws leads to long-range and direction-dependent order.

Caption

Silicon atoms on a silicon surface organize in pairs that can assume two different positions like a seesaw. The interaction between the seesaws leads to long-range and direction-dependent order. In analogy to the early universe, the size of the ordered domains depends on the cooling rate of the surface.

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B. Schröder/HZDR

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