Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

An Examination Of Kinetic Monte Carlo Methods With Application To A Model Of Epitaxial Growth, Dylana Ashton Wilhelm

Theses and Dissertations

Through the assembly of procedural information about physical processes, the kinetic Monte Carlo method offers a simple and efficient stochastic approach to model the temporal evolution of a system. While suitable for a variety of systems, the approach has found widespread use in the simulation of epitaxial growth. Motivated by chem- ically reacting systems, we discuss the developments and elaborations of the kinetic Monte Carlo method, highlighting the computational cost associated with realizing a given algorithm. We then formulate a solid-on-solid bond counting model of epitax- ial growth which permits surface atoms to advance the state of the system through …