CHARGE-EXCHANGE IN ATOM SURFACE COLLISIONS

In scattering an atom or ion beam from a metal surface the reflected particles are usually found in various charge states or excited states of the species. Charge exchange to or from the moving atom or ion can occur through either an Auger process or a resonant process. Resonant electron exchange between a moving atom or ion and a metal surface is the subject of this review. An overview of the theory is given. The charge transfer problem is solved for an atom with a nondegenerate orbital, whose coupling to the surface is described by the Anderson model. We emphasize limiting formulae, which can be derived under simple physical assumptions. The various limits are illustrated by experimental results. The importance of the results for related fields such as heterogeneous catalysis is illuminated. © 1990.