Influence of adatom interactions on second-layer nucleation

We develop a theory for the inclusion of adatom interactions in second-layer nucleation occurring in epitaxial growth. The interactions considered are due to ring barriers between pairs of adatoms and binding energies of unstable clusters. The theory is based on a master equation, which describes the time development of microscopic states that are specified by cluster configurations on top of an island. The transition rates are derived by scaling arguments and tested against kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. As an application we reanalyze experiments to determine the step edge barrier for Ag/Pt(111).