In-plane lattice reconstruction of Cu(100)

A new structural analysis of the clean Cu(100) surface by low energy electron diffraction yields a surprising in-plane lattice contraction of approx1% compared to the bulk lattice parameter, i.e., a surface reconstruction following the tensile stress in the surface. This sheds new light on the epitaxial growth of other metals on Cu(100). Additionally, we report on a similar contraction determined for the metastable 1x1 phase of the (100) surface of platinum indicating that in-plane lattice reconstruction might be a more general feature than believed.