Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
An Al-Pd-Mn cubic alloy having a bulk chemical composition somewhat analogous to that of the icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystal is studied. Our goal is to compare the surface structure and properties of the cubic alloy with those of the quasicrystalline alloy. In this paper, we report the first observations for the (110) surface of the cubic alloy using (primarily) low energy electron diffraction (LEED). The surface is prepared by sputtering and annealing in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). In addition to the substrate LEED pattern, at least three superstructures evolve sequentially with annealing temperature.