The book includes articles by leading experts in the field of surface diffusion discussing recent experimental and theoretical developments of the problem. The emphasis is on the study of surface diffusion when many mutually interacting atoms are present on the surface. Such interactions between atoms result in correlations in their motion. By measuring surface diffusion coefficients as a function of temperature, atom concentration, initial atom configuration, etc., the energy barriers of the diffusing atoms can be extracted. Theoretical analysis is used to develop a better understanding and predictability of how diffusion barriers vary from system to system.
Most of the articles in the book present the state of the art in the field i.e. how to measure and how to understand the dependence of the diffusion coefficient on different physical parameters (coverage, temperature, region of the phase diagram etc.) in different experimental systems.
The book is nicely balanced between theoretical and experimental articles. It will interest physicists, chemists, materials scientists working in the area of growth of new materials. Although its main emphasis is on understanding fundamental questions about the diffusion of atoms on surfaces, it will also interest people working in more applied aspects to produce atomic scale structures.