Angular Dependence of Oscillatory Structure in Low-Energy Ion-Surface Scattering

Measurements have been performed of the dependence on scattering angle and target orientation of the oscillatory structure recently observed in low-energy ion scattering from surfaces. Wide variation is exhibited in the behavior of oscillation maxima as a function of scattering angle depending on the target species studied. A semiquantitative model is presented which treats the phenomenon in terms of quantum mechanical phase interference between pairs of near-resonant quasimolecular levels.