Observation of pronounced neon diffraction from low-index metal surfaces

Neon diffraction from dense metal surfaces is reported for the first time. Contrary to expectation, pronounced rainbow scattering at angles of 12°for Ni(110) and 40°for Pd(110) shows that the corrugation amplitudes are much larger for Ne than for He. This opens important extensions for atomic-beam studies of surface structure and composition and, as Ne is also more sensitive to dilute adsorbates, of surface defects and migration. © 1984 The American Physical Society.