Classical and quantum dynamics at surfaces : basic concepts from simple models

Elementary processes involving atomic and molecular species at surfaces are reviewed. The emphasis is on simple classical and quantum models that help to single out unifying dynamical themes and to identify the basic physical mechanisms that underlie the rich variety of phenomena of surface chemistry. Starting from an elementary description of the energy transfer between a gas-phase species and a surface—for both classical and quantum lattices—the key processes establishing the formation of an adsorbed phase (sticking, diffusion and vibrational relaxation) are discussed. This is instrumental for introducing the simplest chemical transformations involving adsorbed species and/or scattering of gas-phase molecules: Langmuir–Hinshelwood, Hot-Atom, and Eley–Rideal reactions forming complex molecules from elementary constituents, and dissociative chemisorption of molecules into smaller fragments. Applications are also provided illustrating the ideas developed along the way at work in real-world gas-surface problems.