Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident
Published on: December 14, 2017
Coverage-dependent quantum versus classical scattering of thermal neon atoms from Li/Cu(100)
D A Maclaren1, C Huang, A C Levi
1Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thompson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom. dmaclaren@physics.org
Abstract:
We show that subtle variations in surface structure can enhance quantum scattering and quench atom-surface energy transfer. The scattering of thermal energy neon atoms from a lithium overlayer on a copper substrate switches between a classical regime, dominated by multiphonon interactions, and a quantum regime, dominated by elastic diffraction. The transition is achieved by simple tailoring of the lithium coverage and quantum scattering dominates only in the narrow coverage range of theta=0.3-0.6 ML. The results are described qualitatively using a modified Debye-Waller model that incorporates an approximate quantum treatment of the adsorbate-substrate vibration.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Radiation and Light Sources
Two common narrow-range 'line' sources used in AAS are hollow-cathode lamps (HCLs) and...
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Lab
Emission Spectra
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Atomization Methods
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview
Atomic Spectroscopy: Absorption, Emission, and Fluorescence

