The dynamics of a honeycomb array of domain walls as a network of interconnected strings

Abstract

A honeycomb array of domain walls such as is found in incommensurate phases of rare-gas monolayers on graphite is shown to vibrate as an interconnected network of strings. The vibrational modes of the network are determined by the vertices, which provide the boundary conditions for the domain-wall segments. The dynamical matrix is constructed and solved for the normal modes. The krypton on graphite system is used as a test to the theory. A Hamiltonian is constructed for the domain-wall network and the amplitude of the lowest energy mode, the breathing mode, is discussed.