Surface melting and preroughening of argon: An X-ray reflection study

Abstract
We present results of an X-ray reflection study of the surface melting of the dense (111) face of a thick argon film on MgO. Our data show evidence of surface melting through a power law divergence of the thickness of the quasi-liquid surface layer at the triple-point temperature. They also give new direct experimental evidence of preroughening and support the view that the onset of surface melting in these systems is the preroughening transition.