Observation of dynamical scaling in ‘‘spinodal decomposition’’ in two dimensions

Abstract
We present results of a helium atom beam scattering experiment on spinodal decomposition in two dimensions and for deep temperature quenches. A system with conserved order parameter and equal volume fractions of two phases is realized by deposition of 0.5 monolayer Cu on a Cu(100) surface. We find that the morphology evolves in a self-similar fashion. Growth exponents close to 1/4 are in accord with ideas of corrections in the Lifshitz-Slyosov growth law due to excess mass transport along domain boundaries in the temperature and time range covered by our experiment.