The Application of High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy to the Characterization of Adsorbed Molecules on Rhodium Single Crystal Surfaces

The scattering of low energy electrons by metal surfaces has been studied for many years now. The electron's ease of generation and detection and high surface sensitivity (low penetration depth) make it an ideal probe for surface scientists. The impinging electron can interact with the surface in basically two ways: it can either elastically reflect (or diffract) from the surface without losing energy or lose a portion of it's incident energy and inelastically scatter. In this paper we will be concerned with only one of many possible inelastic scattering processes: the loss of the electron's energy to the vibrational modes of atoms and molecules chemisorbed on the surface. This technique is known as high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (or ELS, EELS, HRELS, HREELS, etc.).