  Deposition/removal of metal atoms on the hex reconstructed (100) surface of
Au, Pt and Ir should present intriguing aspects, since a new island implies hex
-> square deconstruction of the substrate, and a new crater the square -> hex
reconstruction of the uncovered layer. To obtain a microscopic understanding of
how islands/craters form in these conditions, we have conducted simulations of
island and crater growth on Au(100), whose atomistic behavior, including the
hex reconstruction on top of the square substrate, is well described by mean s
of classical many-body forces. By increasing/decreasing the Au coverage on
Au(100), we find that island/craters will not grow unless they exceed a
critical size of about 8-10 atoms. This value is close to that which explains
the nonlinear coverage dependence observed in molecular adsorption on the
closely related surface Pt (100). This threshold size is rationalized in terms
of a transverse step correlation length, measuring the spatial extent where
reconstruction of a given plane is disturbed by the nearby step.
