Mathematics Graduate Student Colloquium

MGSC Website: http://math.uci.edu/~mgsc/

Modeling Thin Film Morphology: A Geometric Evolution Law from Anisotropic Surface Energy

Chris Ograin
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
4:00 pm - 4:50 pm
RH 190

Talk Abstract:

The morphology of the solid-vapor interface of a nano-scale thin crystalline film is influenced by many factors. We consider an interface whose evolution is driven by anisotropic surface diffusion. It is known that in cases of strong anisotropy, the equilibrium shape of the energy-minimizing interface will have sharp corners. The equations used in this case are ill-posed leading to difficulty in numerical simulation. As a result, researchers have proposed to regularize the problem by adding a high-order term to the energy that is proportional to the curvature squared (Willmore energy). We derive the corresponding evolution law and perform a linear stability analysis.

About the Speaker:

Chris earned a B.S. in mathematics in 1992, and an M.Ed. (education) degree in 1993, both at UCLA. He taught math at the high school level from 1992-2003. Chris is a fifth-year grad student working in applied math, who plays quarterback (flag football), center (basketball) and first base (softball).

Refreshments:

Pizza will be served after the talk.