Surface oscillatory thermal expansion: Mg(10(1)over-bar0)

Temperature-dependent low-energy electron diffraction I-V measurements and density-functional calculations within the quasiharmonic approximation reveal that the Mg(10 (1) over bar1) surface exhibits a remarkable oscillatory surface thermal expansion, thermal contraction in the short interlayer, and thermal expansion in the long interlayer. The thermal expansion of the long interlayer is intimately tied to the thermal contraction in the short interlayer in the surface region.