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We show that scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images can be dominated by elastic deformations induced by atomic forces between tip and surface. New STM experiments on graphite (0001) showing a strong variation of the giant corrugation amplitudes with varying current at constant voltage are direct evidence of this atomic-force concept. Corrugations up to 8 A on a lateral scale of 2. 4 are associated with forces up to 10^-8 N for compression and 2 10^-10 N for expansion.
Soler et al. (Mon,) studied this question.