Multiple-interaction molecular dynamics simulation techniques will be used to study: (1) nonlinear effects in ion-surface collisions, (2) cluster emission and formation in sputtering, (3) problems related to surface sticking and film growth, (4) isotopic effects in sputtering from layered targets, and (5) other basic properties of collision cascades induced by low energy ions. This work will be carried out at California State University, Fullerton (a predominantly undergraduate institution), and in collaboration with the Basic and Applied Science Group at Caltech and the Surface Physics Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Our aims are two-fold. Namely, to extend the fundamental understanding of ion-surface collision phenomena, and to guide future experimental work in this area.
