Simulation with animation: microscopic growth kinetics of Si(001) homoepitaxy

We present a description of the use of animation applied to simulation studies of molecular beam epitaxy. The animations generated are transferred to domestic video, which allows them to be used as demonstration and teaching tools. The major advantage gained from animation is the introduction of a temporal dimension when analysing the simulation. This allows the easy examination of fluctuations, where the enormity of the data produced usually forces the monitoring of only averaged quantities. © 1991.