Nanoscale Turing patterns in a bismuth monolayer

• Published in: Nature physics Vol. 17; no. 9; pp. 1031 - 1036
• Main Authors: Fuseya, Yuki, Katsuno, Hiroyasu, Behnia, Kamran, Kapitulnik, Aharon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.09.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Publishing Group [2005-....]; Nature Publishing Group (NPG)
• Subjects: 631/57/2266; 639/301/1034/1035; 639/766/119/544; 639/925/357/1018; Adsorption; Atomic; atomistic models; Bismuth; Catalysis; Classical and Continuum Physics; Complex Systems; computational biophysics; Condensed Matter Physics; Crystal structure; Diffusion theory; Domain walls; Dunes; Equilibrium; Experiments; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Mathematical and Computational Physics; Molecular; Molecular beam epitaxy; Monolayers; Morphology; Optical and Plasma Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; surfaces interfaces and thin films; Theoretical; two-dimensional materials
• ISSN: 1745-2473; 1745-2481
• DOI: 10.1038/s41567-021-01288-y

Turing’s reaction–diffusion theory of morphogenesis has been very successful for understanding macroscopic patterns within complex objects ranging from biological systems to sand dunes. However, Turing patterns on microscopic length scales are extremely rare. Here we show that a strained atomic bismuth monolayer assembled on the surface of NbSe 2 —and subject to interatomic interactions and kinetics—displays Turing patterns. Our reaction–diffusion model produces stripe patterns with a period of five atoms (approximately 2 nm) and domain walls with Y-shaped junctions that bear a striking resemblance to what has been experimentally observed. Our work establishes that Turing patterns can occur at the atomic scale in a hard condensed-matter setting. Macroscale patterns seen in biological systems such as animal coats or skin can be described by Turing’s reaction–diffusion theory. Now Turing patterns are shown to also exist in bismuth monolayers, an exemplary nanoscale atomic system.