Dynamics of a crystal surface below its roughening transition

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Abstract
The equations of the smoothening dynamics of a crystal surface below the roughening transition are written in the case of evaporation dynamics. It is assumed that only ledges separating smooth planes are mobile. The equations are applied to the classical experiment in which the decay of parallel grooves is studied. The formation of facets, which has been observed, is argued to be possible only if the average surface makes a small, but nonvanishing angle α with a high-symmetry direction. If α=0, the profile is predicted to have sharp maxima and minima with (4/3 singularities.