SIMULATION OF BALLISTIC EFFECTS DURING SCATTERING UNDER GLANCING ANGLES OF INCIDENCE FROM CRYSTAL-SURFACES

A direct comparison of the results of molecular dynamics (MD) and sequ ential binary collision (BCA) simulations of the scattering of 3 keV l ight (He) and heavy (Xe) particles from a Cu(111) surface along the [1 (1) over bar 0] direction under glancing incidence conditions is pres ented. Inelastic energy losses are neglected. Clear differences betwee n the MD and BCA results are seen in the differential scattering distr ibutions. The origin of these differences arises from approximations i n the way ''simultaneous'' collisions between the projectile and sever al nearby surface atoms are treated in BCA-type simulations.