Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy and Surface Vibrations is devoted to electron energy loss spectroscopy as a probe of the crystal surface. Electrons with energy in the range of a few electron volts sample only a few atomic layers. As they approach or exit from the crystal, they interact with the vibrational modes of the crystal surface, or possibly with other elementary excitations localized there. The energy spectrum of electrons back-reflected from the surface is thus a rich source of information on its dynamics.
The book opens with a detailed analysis of the physics that controls the operation of the monochromator, which is the core of the experimental apparatus. Separate chapters follow on the interaction of electrons with vibrational modes of the surface region and with other elementary excitations in the vicinity; the lattice dynamics of clean and adsorbate-covered surfaces, with emphasis on those features of particular relevance to surface vibrational spectroscopy; and selected applications vibration spectroscopy in surface physics and chemistry.