Blue Shifts in Helium-Surface Bound-State Resonances and Quantum Effects in Knudsen Scattering

TL;DR

This paper investigates how quantum bound-state resonances influence gas-surface scattering, revealing that defects cause a blue-shift in these resonances, which can be used for quantum defect metrology.

Contribution

It demonstrates the transition from quantum diffraction to classical scattering and shows how surface defects induce a blue-shift in bound-state energies, impacting surface analysis techniques.

Findings

Quantum bound-state resonances significantly affect scattering transition.

Random defects cause a blue-shift in bound-state energies.

Quantum effects can be harnessed for defect metrology in materials.

Abstract

The scattering of gas from surfaces underpins technologies in fields such as gas permeation, heterogeneous catalysis and chemical vapour deposition. The effect of surface defects on the scattering is key in such technologies, but is still poorly understood. It is known empirically that unordered surfaces result-in Knudsen, random-angle, scattering, with the effect thought to be classical. We here demonstrate the transition from quantum mechanical diffraction to an apparent Knudsen scattering, and show that quantum bound-state resonances can greatly affect this transition. Further, we find that randomly distributed defects induce a blue-shift in the bound-state energies. We explore this phenomena, which can lay the basis for helium based quantum metrology of defects in 2D materials and material surfaces.