Nanoscale patterns formed by ion bombardment of rotating binary materials

We explore the effects of sample rotation during ion sputtering of binary materials, as well as its effects during surfactant sputtering. We find that the rate with which the surface roughens or smooths depends on the period of rotation t(0) in the early time regime, in contrast to the behavior of elemental materials. In addition, the characteristic length scale l of the patterns that emerge can be tuned merely by changing the value of t(0). Finally, we demonstrate that l can even exhibit a jump discontinuity as t(0) is varied.