Interaction of Hg overlayers with an Ag(100) surface

Abstract

The electronic band structure of one, two, and five monolayers of Hg on Ag(100) has been investigated by angle-resolved photoemission. Hg overlayers on Ag(100) form metastable structures that develop via Frank--van der Merwe growth modes. Hg-Hg hybridization results in the formation of a two-dimensional band structure while hybridization of Hg with the underlying Ag(100) substrate results in the adoption of bulklike characteristics for some Hg-induced bands. The Hg-Hg as well as Hg-Ag interactions are discussed.