Angular distribution of electrons resonantly scattered by CO molecules adsorbed on a metal surface

Abstract

A model study of resonant electron scattering by CO molecules adsorbed on a metal surface is performed within the framework of the recently developed Coupled Angular Modes (CAM) method. The energy position and width of the high-energy f resonance of CO is determined as a function of the molecule-surface distance. The angular distribution of the resonantly scattered electrons can also be obtained. It is shown that, although the scattered electron-surface interaction mixes the atomic angular modes, this mixing does not significantly alter the resonance decay nor the electron angular distribution. Other effects could be responsible for the broadening, experimentally observed by Jones et al. [Chem. Phys. Lett. 161 (1989) 467]: the frustrated rotation movement of the adsorbed molecules or a CO molecular modification induced by the adsorption process.