Scattering of hyperthermal argon atoms from clean and D-covered Ru(0001) surfaces

Hyperthermal Ar atoms were scattered from a Ru(0001) surface held at temperatures of 180, 400 and 600 K, and from a Ru(0001)-(1×1)D surface held at 114 and 180 K. The resultant angular intensity and energy distributions are complex. The in-plane angular distributions have narrow (FWHM ≤ 10°) near-specular peaks and additional off-specular features. The energy distributions show an oscillatory behavior as a function of outgoing angle. In comparison, scattered Ar atoms from a Ag(111) surface exhibit a broad angular intensity distribution and an energy distribution that qualitatively tracks the binary collision model. The features observed for Ru, which are most evident when scattering from the clean surface at 180 K and from the Ru(0001)-(1×1)D surface, are consistent with rainbow scattering. The measured TOF profiles cannot be adequately described with a single shifted Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. They can be fitted by two components that exhibit complex variations as a function of outgoing angle. This suggests at least two significantly different site and∕or trajectory dependent energy loss processes at the surface. The results are interpreted in terms of the stiffness of the surface and highlight the anomalous nature of the apparently simple hcp(0001) ruthenium surface.