The structure, vibrational excitations, and adsorption and desorption kinetics of monolayer ${\mathrm{CH}}_4$ on MgO have been investigated using several techniques of helium scattering. Structural information is presented in the form of high-order diffraction-peak intensities. A vibrational excitation of 7.5 meV measured by time-of-flight methods shows no dispersion. This excitation energy is used in an analysis of the Debye-Waller effect for the [00] and [1¯0] beams. Studies of adsorption and desorption rates exploiting the He-methane diffuse-scattering cross section indicate an island-growth mode and allow determination of the desorption activation energy. Differences between the low-coverage adsorption rates for adsorption on fresh versus previously exposed surfaces suggest that higher-binding-energy sites are present after the desorption of a methane monolayer.

• Received 7 December 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.43.10042