Low energy scattering of Cs + from Pt(1 1 1): A model study on angular and energy distributions

Abstract

In a classical molecular dynamics simulation we have studied the in-plane angular intensity distributions and final energies for Cs + scattered from Pt(1 1 1) in the low incidence energy range (5–100 eV). The angular intensity distributions are predominantly symmetrical about the specular scattering angle and the absence of both, surface rainbow scattering and backscattering, indicate an important difference from lighter mass projectiles. The effective dislocation of the surface atoms upon impact accounts for this difference. The in-plane intensities are volatile due to out-of-plane scattering and we provide estimates of the amount of out-of-plane scattering. The initial perpendicular momentum determines the energy transfer to the surface, whereas the angular dependence of the final energies shows a transition towards individual binary collisions. This energy exchange can be understood in terms of a simple binary collision model.