On the Molecular Orientation Dependence of Dynamical Processes on Solid Surfaces: Dissociative Adsorption and Scattering

Abstract

Recently molecular orientation dependence has been observed in several dynamical processes on solid surfaces. In the first half of this paper, the dissociative adsorption of a hydrogen molecule interacting with a metal surface is cited as an example of a dynamical process on solid surface which shows strong molecular orientation dependence in the range of translational energy comparable to the height of the activation barrier around 1 eV. On the basis of the results of numerical calculation, it is shown how the orientation dependence results in what is called steering effects. In the latter half, the dissociative scattering of a hydrogen molecule interacting with a metal surface is used as a representative dynamical process which shows strong molecular orientation dependence in the range of translational energy around a few hundred eV. On the basis of the results of numerical calculation, it is shown how the orientation dependence manifests itself.