Distance of excited-state formation in ion-surface collisions

Localized description of surface energy gap effects in the resonant charge exchange between atoms and surfaces

The resonant charge exchange between atoms and surfaces is described by considering a localized atomistic view of the solid within the Anderson model. The presence of a surface energy gap is treated within a simplified tight-binding model of the solid, and a proper calculation of the Hamiltonian terms based on a LCAO expansion of the solid eigenstates is performed. It is found that interference terms jointly with a surface projected gap maximum at the Γ point and the Fermi level inside it, lead to hybridization widths negligible around the Fermi level. This result can explain experimental observations related to long-lived adsorbate states and anomalous neutral fractions of low energy ions in alkali/Cu(111) systems.