Metastable angular distributions from electron-stimulated desorption

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Abstract
We have, for the first time, measured by electron-stimulated desorption the angular distribution of electronically excited (metastable) species from CO adsorbed on Ni(110). The angular distribution of metastable desorption is strongly peaked in the normal direction, as is also found for ionic desorption products. This indicates that the metastable is repelled along the direction of the bond being broken. We also observe an asymmetry in the azimuthal angular distribution which is correlated with the substrate crystal structure. The metastable exhibits a maximum in its yield versus coverage.