Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
Molecular beam scattering from solid surfaces has long been recognized as a powerful means for investigation of gas-surface reaction dynamics. With the help of the recently developed laser-induced fluorescence and ionization techniques for state-selective detection, one can now measure the angular and velocity distributions of the scattered molecules together with their internal energy distributions. Such measurements fully describe the average energy and momentum exchanges between molecules and surfaces and give thus full information on the dynamics of the interaction. Recently, also the scattering of vibrationally excited NO molecules was investigated. The paper gives a review of new experiments with emphasis on the investigation of the scattering of NO molecules from a pyrographite surface. A simple model using transport properties of the solid is presented which accounts surprisingly well for the observed features.