Suppression of inelastic bound state resonance effects by the dimensionality of atom-surface scattering event

TL;DR

This paper introduces a multidimensional coupled channel method to analyze how the dimensionality of atom-surface interactions influences inelastic resonance effects, particularly in low-energy helium atom scattering from surfaces.

Contribution

It presents a novel multidimensional approach to study the impact of dimensionality on inelastic bound state resonances in atom-surface scattering.

Findings

Dimensionality affects the observability of inelastic resonances.

The method provides insights into phonon-assisted scattering processes.

It clarifies the role of bound state resonances in low-energy atom scattering.

Abstract

We develop a multidimensional coupled channel method suitable for studying the interplay of bound state resonance and phonon assisted scattering of inert gas atoms from solid surfaces in one, two and three dimensions. This enables us to get insight into the features that depend on the dimensionality of inelastic resonant processes typically encountered in low energy He atom scattering from surfaces, in general, and to elaborate on the observability of recently conjectured near threshold resonances in scattering from Einstein phonons, in particular.