Neutron scattering by adsorbed monolayers

Abstract Many techniques have contributed to the great advance in knowledge of surfaces and adsorbed layers which has taken place over the past decade. These include Iow energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger and photoelectron spectroscopy, and field‐ionization microscopy (FIM). All spectroscopic techniques derive their sensitivity and surface specificity from the large cross sections involved in charged‐particle scattering processes. These cross sections of the order of the geometric size of an atom or molecule imply that all probe particles will be scattered a t least once within a few atomic layers of the surface. This high sensitivity brings with it, however, the necessary but unfortunate consequence that multiple scattering will be very significant, obscuring some aspects of the interpretation of spectral data.