Hyperthermal velocity distributions of recombinatively-desorbing oxygen from Ag(111)

This study presents velocity-resolved desorption experiments of recombinatively-desorbing oxygen from Ag (111). We combine molecular beam techniques, ion imaging, and temperature-programmed desorption to obtain translational energy distributions of desorbing O₂. Molecular beams of NO₂ are used to prepare a <i>p</i> (4 × 4)-O adlayer on the silver crystal. The translational energy distributions of O₂ are shifted towards hyperthermal energies indicating desorption from an intermediate activated molecular chemisorption state.