Quasi-elastic helium-atom scattering from surfaces: experiment and interpretation

Diffusion of an adsorbate is affected both by the adiabatic potential energy surface in which the adsorbate moves and by the rate of thermal coupling between the adsorbate and substrate. In principle both factors are amenable to investigation through quasi-elastic broadening in the energy spread of a probing beam of helium atoms. This review provides a topical summary of both the quasi-elastic helium-atom scattering technique and the available data in relation to the determination of diffusion parameters. In particular, we discuss the activation barriers deduced from experiment and their relation to the adiabatic potential and the central role played by the friction parameter, using the CO/Cu(001) system as a case study. The main issues to emerge are the need for detailed molecular dynamics simulations in the interpretation of data and the desirability of significantly greater energy resolution in the experiments themselves.