Dynamic dependence of interaction potentials for keV atoms at metal surfaces

Abstract

He and N atoms are scattered with keV energies under a grazing angle of incidence from clean and flat Ag(111) and Al(111) surfaces. For incidence along low index crystallographic directions in the surface plane, atomic projectiles are steered by rows of atoms (''axial surface channeling'') giving rise to characteristic rainbows in their angular distribution. From the analysis of this effect we derive effective scattering potentials which reveal pronounced dynamical effects. We attribute our observation to the embedding energy for penetration of atoms in the electron gas of a metal.