Statistical properties of surfaces covered by large spheres.

Statistical properties of surfaces covered by particles deposited under the influence of gravity are investigated by means of optical microscopy and image analysis. The radial distribution function of the particle configurations is determined over a wide coverage range. Special attention is paid to the fluctuations of the number of particles on small surfaces which contain information upon the deposition process. A first analysis of these fluctuations is presented within a mean field approximation. All results are compared to the ballistic process which proves to be a good model. On the contrary, the observations are not compatible with a simple random sequential adsorption model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]