Vibrational spectroscopy of thin films and nanostructures by inelastic nuclear resonant scattering

Abstract

The technique of inelastic nuclear resonant scattering isapplied to measure the phonon density of states of thin filmsand nanostructured materials. Interference effects in grazingincidence geometry significantly enhance the inelastic signalfrom low-dimensional systems. Combined with the oustandingbrilliance of modern synchrotron radiation sources this allowsone to determine vibrational properties with monolayersensitivity. An introduction into the basic principles of themethod is given, and several experimental examples arediscussed.