de Gennes Narrowing and Relationship between Structure and Dynamics in Self-Organized Ion-Beam Nanopatterning

Investigating the relationship between structure and dynamical processes is a central goal in condensed matter physics. Perhaps most noted two phenomenon of de Gennes narrowing, which relaxation times liquids are proportional to scattering factor. Here, similar discovered during self-organized ion-beam nanopatterning silicon using coherent x-ray scattering. However, contrast exponential fluctuations classic dynamic surface exhibits wide range behaviors as function length scale, with compressed at lengths corresponding dominant structural motif---self-organized nanoscale ripples. These reproduced simulations nonlinear model describing evolution. We suggest that behavior observed here due morphological persistence ripple patterns form evolve nanopatterning.