The dynamical behaviour of individual atoms and molecules on surfaces
underpins a huge range of fundamental and technological processes. On
the scale of individual atoms, events occur extremely quickly. For
example, the characteristic period of vibration for an atom adsorbed
onto a surface is about 1 ps. These 'atomic' scales mean is has
traditionally been extremely difficult to follow the microscopic detail
of surface transport. I will describe how new experimental techniques -
in particular helium spin-echo - have made it possible to follow and
understand a wide range of dynamical processes in this new and otherwise
unstudied physical regime.
Date:
Thursday, 8 March, 2012 - 11:55