High-resolution elastic and rotationally inelastic diffraction of D2 from NiAl(110)

Simulating high-pressure surface reactions with molecular beams

Using a reactive molecular beam with high kinetic energy (Ekin), it is possible to speed gas-surface reactions involving high activation barriers (Eact), which would require elevated pressures (P0) if a random gas with a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is used. By simply computing the number of molecules that overcome the activation barrier in a random gas at P0 and in a molecular beam at Ekin = Eact, we establish an Ekin-P0 equivalence curve, through which we postulate that molecular beams are ideal tools to investigate gas-surface reactions that involve high activation energies. In particular, we foresee the use of molecular beams to simulate gas surface reactions within the industrial-range (>10 bar) using surface-sensitive ultra-high vacuum (UHV) techniques, such as X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). To test this idea, we revisit the oxidation of the Cu(111) surface combining O2 molecular beams and XPS experiments. By tuning the kinetic energy of the O2 beam in the range of 0.24-1 eV, we achieve the same sequence of surface oxides obtained in ambient pressure photoemission (AP-XPS) experiments, in which the Cu(111) surface was exposed to a random O2 gas up to 1 mbar. We observe the same surface oxidation kinetics as in the random gas, but with a much lower dose, close to the expected value derived from the equivalence curve.

Time-of-flight measurements of the low-energy scattering of CH4 from Ir(111)

We have measured high-resolution time-of-flight (TOF) spectra of methane scattered from an Ir(111) surface at an incident energy of 81 meV. The angular distributions of scattered CH₄ reveal the presence of a sharp and intense specular peak in addition to sharp features corresponding to rotationally inelastic diffraction (RID) peaks along the two main symmetry directions of Ir(111). TOF spectra have been recorded at several RID positions for the two high-symmetry directions. The data show that the scattering dynamics of CH₄ is more complex than the one reported for H₂/D₂, where energy losses in TOF correspond to the expected excitation/deexcitation RID energy transitions. For CH₄, this is the case only for RID peaks showing up far from the specular peak, whereas those appearing close to the specular position present different behaviors, depending on the incident direction. The results are compared with Ne scattering TOF data, which allows to assess the relevance of multiphonon scattering in the energy-exchange process. Finally, we report experimental evidence of selective adsorption resonances detected with CH₄ beams. This will allow characterizing the CH₄-metal surface physisorption well by measuring angular distributions with CH₄ beams.

Evidence for a spin acoustic surface plasmon from inelastic atom scattering

Closed-shell atoms scattered from a metal surface exchange energy and momentum with surface phonons mostly via the interposed surface valence electrons, i.e., via the creation of virtual electron-hole pairs. The latter can then decay into surface phonons via electron-phonon interaction, as well as into acoustic surface plasmons (ASPs). While the first channel is the basis of the current inelastic atom scattering (IAS) surface-phonon spectroscopy, no attempt to observe ASPs with IAS has been made so far. In this study we provide evidence of ASP in Ni(111) with both Ne atom scattering and He atom scattering. While the former measurements confirm and extend so far unexplained data, the latter illustrate the coupling of ASP with phonons inside the surface-projected phonon continuum, leading to a substantial reduction of the ASP velocity and possibly to avoided crossing with the optical surface phonon branches. The analysis is substantiated by a self-consistent calculation of the surface response function to atom collisions and of the first-principle surface-phonon dynamics of Ni(111). It is shown that in Ni(111) ASP originate from the majority-spin Shockley surface state and are therefore collective oscillation of surface electrons with the same spin, i.e. it represents a new kind of collective quasiparticle: a Spin Acoustic Surface Plasmon (SASP).

Dynamical Quantum Filtering via Enhanced Scattering of para-H2 on the Orientationally Anisotropic Potential of SrTiO3(001)

Quantum dynamics calculation, performed on top of density functional theory (DFT)-based total energy calculations, show dynamical quantum filtering via enhanced scattering of para-H2 on SrTiO3(001). We attribute this to the strongly orientation-dependent (electrostatic) interaction potential between the H2 (induced) quadrupole moment and the surface electric field gradient of ionic SrTiO3(001). These results suggest that ionic surfaces could function as a scattering/filtering media to realize rotationally state-resolved H2. This could find significant applications not only in H2 storage and transport, but also in realizing materials with pre-determined characteristic properties.

Prominent out-of-plane diffraction in helium scattering from a methyl-terminated Si(111) surface

Due to their electrochemical and oxidative stability, organic-terminated semiconductor surfaces are well suited to applications in, for example, photoelectrodes and electrochemical cells, which explains the lively interest in their detailed characterization. Helium atom scattering (HAS) is a useful tool to carry out such characterization. Here, we have simulated HAS in He/CH3-Si(111) based on density functional theory (DFT) potential energy surfaces (PESs) and multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) dynamics. Our analysis of HAS shows that most diffraction taking place in this system corresponds to high-order out-of-plane peaks. This is a general trend that does not depend on the specific features of the simulations, such as the inclusion or not of the van der Waals long-range effects. This is the first and only He-surface system for which such huge out-of-plane diffraction has been described. This striking theoretical finding should encourage new experimental developments to confirm this previously unreported effect.

Performance of van der Waals DFT approaches for helium diffraction on metal surfaces

The ability of the different approaches proposed to date to include the effects of van der Waals (vdW) dispersion forces in density functional theory (DFT) is currently under debate. Here, we used the diffraction of He on a Ru(0 0 0 1) surface as a challenging benchmark system to analyze the suitability of several representative approaches, from the ones correcting the exchange-correlation generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functional, to the ones correcting the DFT energies through pairwise-based methods. To perform our analysis, we have built seven continuous potential energy surfaces (PESs) and carried out quantum dynamics simulations using a multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method. Our analysis reveals that standard DFT within the PBE-GGA framework, although it overestimates diffraction probabilities, yields the best results in comparison with available experimental measurements. On the other hand, although several of the existing vdW DFT approaches yield physisorption wells in very good agreement with experiment, they all seem to overestimate the long-distance corrugation of the PES, the region probed by He scattering, resulting in a large overestimation of diffraction probabilities.

Low-energy methane scattering from Pt(111)

We have measured the temperature dependence of angular distributions of CH₄ from Pt(111) at an incident energy of 109 meV. A broad angular distribution has been observed along the two main symmetry directions, whereby the peak center shifts from the supra-specular position to the sub-specular position when the surface temperature increases from 120 K to 800 K. Different widths have been measured for the scattering patterns along the [ 1¯01 ] and the [ 2¯11 ] azimuthal directions. Based on calculations performed within the binary collision model, these differences have been ascribed to different corrugations of the CH₄-Pt(111) interaction potential along the two high-symmetry directions. This corrugation has been estimated from the model calculations to amount ∼0.03 Å, a factor of three larger than the one measured with helium diffraction.

Coherent quantum scattering of CH4 from Ni(111)

We have measured high-resolution angular distributions of methane scattered from a Ni(111) surface at incident energies between 68.9 meV and 108.6 meV. A sharp and intense specular peak has been observed, in addition to sharp features corresponding to rotationally inelastic diffraction (RID) peaks along the two main symmetry directions of Ni(111). The intensity of the most intense RID peaks is ca. 50% of the specular one. The observation of sharp, coherent elastic peaks at such low incident energies suggests that single scattering dominates over trapping at these energies, and that the depth of the van der Waals well should be lower than 60 meV. In contrast, a broad angular distribution shifted from the specular position is observed from a graphene-covered Ni(111) surface under identical incident conditions. These results open up the possibility of studying the physisorption well between CH₄ and a transition metal surface using high-resolution molecular beams.

Experimental and theoretical study of rotationally inelastic diffraction of H2(D2) from methyl-terminated Si(111)

Fundamental details concerning the interaction between H2 and CH3-Si(111) have been elucidated by the combination of diffractive scattering experiments and electronic structure and scattering calculations. Rotationally inelastic diffraction (RID) of H2 and D2 from this model hydrocarbon-decorated semiconductor interface has been confirmed for the first time via both time-of-flight and diffraction measurements, with modest j = 0 → 2 RID intensities for H2 compared to the strong RID features observed for D2 over a large range of kinematic scattering conditions along two high-symmetry azimuthal directions. The Debye-Waller model was applied to the thermal attenuation of diffraction peaks, allowing for precise determination of the RID probabilities by accounting for incoherent motion of the CH3-Si(111) surface atoms. The probabilities of rotationally inelastic diffraction of H2 and D2 have been quantitatively evaluated as a function of beam energy and scattering angle, and have been compared with complementary electronic structure and scattering calculations to provide insight into the interaction potential between H2 (D2) and hence the surface charge density distribution. Specifically, a six-dimensional potential energy surface (PES), describing the electronic structure of the H2(D2)/CH3-Si(111) system, has been computed based on interpolation of density functional theory energies. Quantum and classical dynamics simulations have allowed for an assessment of the accuracy of the PES, and subsequently for identification of the features of the PES that serve as classical turning points. A close scrutiny of the PES reveals the highly anisotropic character of the interaction potential at these turning points. This combination of experiment and theory provides new and important details about the interaction of H2 with a hybrid organic-semiconductor interface, which can be used to further investigate energy flow in technologically relevant systems.

Phonon dynamics of graphene on metals

The study of surface phonon dispersion curves is motivated by the quest for a detailed understanding of the forces between the atoms at the surface and in the bulk. In the case of graphene, additional motivation comes from the fact that thermal conductivity is dominated by contributions from acoustic phonons, while optical phonon properties are essential to understand Raman spectra. In this article, we review recent progress made in the experimental determination of phonon dispersion curves of graphene grown on several single-crystal metal surfaces. The two main experimental techniques usually employed are high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and inelastic helium atom scattering (HAS). The different dispersion branches provide a detailed insight into the graphene-substrate interaction. Softening of optical modes and signatures of the substrate's Rayleigh wave are observed for strong graphene-substrate interactions, while acoustic phonon modes resemble those of free-standing graphene for weakly interacting systems. The latter allows determining the bending rigidity and the graphene-substrate coupling strength. A comparison between theory and experiment is discussed for several illustrative examples. Perspectives for future experiments are discussed.

Quantum and classical dynamics of reactive scattering of H2 from metal surfaces

State-of-the-art theoretical models allow nowadays an accurate description of H₂/metal surface systems and phenomena relative to heterogeneous catalysis. Here we review the most relevant ones investigated during the last 10 years.

Helium, neon and argon diffraction from Ru(0001)

We present an experimental and theoretical study of He, Ne and Ar diffraction from the Ru(0001) surface. Close-coupling calculations were performed to estimate the corrugation function and the potential well depth in the atom-surface interaction in all three cases. DFT (density functional theory) calculations, including van der Waals dispersion forces, were used to validate the close-coupling results and to further analyze the experimental results. Our DFT calculations indicate that, in the incident energy range 20-150 meV, anticorrugating effects are present in the case of He and Ar diffraction, whereas normal corrugation is observed with Ne beams.