Abstract
A simple quantum model is introduced to deal with the continuum of electron-hole pair excitations produced by a reactive gas atom moving near a metal surface. The sticking coefficient due to the electron-hole pair mechanism is defined for both box- and o-function-normalization of the gas atom's nuclear wavefunctions, and the equivalence of the two definitions is proved for a large box. The sticking coefficient is calculated in the distorted wave Bom approximation for hydrogen atoms with kinetic energies in the range 0–80 meV. It shows a maximum at about 21 meV due to a quantum mechanical resonance in the transmission of the hydrogen atom into the chemisorption potential well. The maximum value of the sticking coefficient is 0.4. The rôle in electron-hole pair sticking of the spectral density at the Fermi level of the surface bond order is emphasized, and discussed.
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