Adsorption of helium atoms on the (110) face of a xenon crystal

Abstract

The quantum-mechanical state of a helium atom adsorbed on the (110) face of a xenon crystal has been studied using the same variational procedure previously applied to the adsorption on the (100) face. The total energy for the fundamental state was lower by about 20 % than on the (100) face. A mono-directional surface mobility of the adsorbed atom is expected at very low temperatures. The probability distribution for the coordinates of the nucleus of the helium atom in its fundamental adsorbed state, has been described by iso-density surfaces similar to those normally employed for atomic or molecular orbitals.