Surface melting in a two-dimensional model

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Abstract
We study surface melting in a two-dimensional lattice model which exhibits solid, liquid, and gas phases. Density and order-parameter profiles as well as interfacial free energies are calculated for both (10) and (11) solid-liquid and solid-gas interfaces by use of the cluster variational method. Both solid-gas interfaces begin to disorder slightly below one-half of the triple temperature, and undergo surface melting as this temperature is approached. The structural difference between the solid and the two fluids causes the solid interfacial free energies to be large compared to the liquid-gas tension.