of gold clusters on amorphous carbon films
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Introduction
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The dynamic behavior of clusters deposited on a substrate has been studied for several decades.[@WG75; @Will87; @MRC96; @PKW+01; @EHD02; @CPP03] A continuously growing number of potential applications in electronics[@FSCN04; @ADKL02] and catalysis[@PLK+03; @IAO+03] demands defined arrays of nanoparticles. However, such arrays tend to minimize their energy by minimizing the total surface via the growth of larger particles at the expense of smaller ones.[@WG75] An example for such a process is Ostwald ripening, where the larger cohesive energy in larger particles leads to matter transport away from small particles in the presence of a finite partial pressure of the constituent in the environment surrounding the clusters.[@Ostw00; @Wagn61] Therefore, investigations concerning the stability[@Utla80; @SPWB86] of deposited nanoparticles are of considerable interest with respect to potential nano-technological applications.

Moreover, the thermodynamic[@ESZ+00; @WDM+00] and chemical[@HSH+03] properties of small metal clusters themselves have enjoyed a large interest over the past years. Their properties differ from those of the bulk material raising the fundamental question about the statistical mechanics of finite systems.[@Gros01] Since the presence of a substrate alters these properties[@PLK+03; @FGH+04] detailed investigations of the substrate-adsorbate interaction[@VMG03] are required.

In this paper we present results 