Threshold nucleation of a nanometer-scale periodic adatom structure with the participation of a static surface acoustic wave

A theory is developed to describe the nucleation of a periodic nanometer-scale adatom structure formed as a result of the instability caused by the interaction of adatoms with a self-consistent quasi-Rayleigh acoustic wave. The periods of the structure are determined as functions of adatom concentration and temperature. On the basis of the theoretical results, a mechanism is proposed that explains the recently observed effect of nanometer-scale structurization in the course of low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy of Ga under laser irradiation.