PROFILE DECAY BY SURFACE-DIFFUSION AT LOW-TEMPERATURE

We describe an efficient Monte Carlo simulation of profile decay via surface diffusion on a (1 + 1)D square-lattice system with suppressed roughening. Our algorithm takes advantage of analytical results for a one-dimensional random walker and is valid in the low-temperature limit of noninteracting activated walkers. We find that an initially sinusoidal profile decays nonexponentially with a characteristic decay time which increases with the initial amplitude. At a fixed ratio of initial amplitude to wavelength, the decay time tau increases with wavelength lambda as tau approximately lambda3.5+/-0.1. In this model, profile decay arises from irreversible decay of the peak and valley terraces rather than from step-step interactions.