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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Patterning via Optical Saturable Transitions - Fabrication and Characterization
Published on: December 11, 2014
Optical imaging of pattern formation: reflection anisotropy microscopy applied to globally coupled oscillatory
Christian Punckt1, Harm Hinrich Rotermund
1Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195, Berlin, Germany. punckt@fhi-berlin.mpg.de
Abstract:
A reflection anisotropy microscope (RAM) creates the contrast in its images from a change in the polarization orientation of reflected light from a surface. This may stem from local variations of the reconstruction of a surface, being initiated by changes in an adsorption layer. The advantages and disadvantages of a recently improved RAM versus other optical imaging techniques are discussed. We demonstrate the unique features of RAM and present the first experimental findings of so called 2pi phase kinks in the globally coupled CO-oxidation on Pt(110).

