Thermally enhanced neutralization in hyperthermal energy ion scattering.

Neutralization probabilities are presented for hyperthermal energy Na+ ions scattered from a Cu(001) crystal as a function of surface temperature and scattered velocity. A large enhancement in neutralization is observed as the temperature is increased. Velocity-dependent charge transfer regimes are probed by varying the incident energy, with the most prominent surface temperature effects occurring at the lowest energies. The data agree well with results obtained from a model based on the Newns-Anderson Hamiltonian, where the effects of both temperature and velocity are incorporated.