Eli Pollak: "Classical Rainbows and Quantum Coherences and Tunneling in Surface Scattering"

Eli Pollak
Chemical Physics Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Classical Rainbows and Quantum Coherences and Tunneling in Surface Scattering

The rainbow phenomenon is as old as the Bible, however, the theory of rainbows in surface scattering is much newer and even nowadays new aspects are being uncovered. The classical theory of rainbow scattering from surfaces will be presented with special attention to energy loss rainbows. Typically one expects that when a heavy particle collides with a surface, the scattered angular distribution will follow classical mechanics. However, suitable collimation of the incident beam can lead to quantum coherence, exemplified by diffraction. A quantum theory of heavy atom scattering from surfaces will be presented. Finally, recent experimental results demonstrating tunneling in the diffusion of H and D atoms on metallic surfaces will be reviewed and analyzed theoretically.