  Based on scanning tunneling microscopy and first-principles theoretical
studies, we characterize the precise atomic structure of a topological soliton
in In chains grown on Si(111) surfaces. Variable-temperature measurements of
the soliton population allow us to determine the soliton formation energy to be
~60 meV, smaller than one half of the band gap of ~200 meV. Once created, these
solitons have very low mobility, even though the activation energy is only
about 20 meV; the sluggish nature is attributed to the exceptionally low
attempt frequency for soliton migration. We further demonstrate local electric
field-enhanced soliton dynamics.
