9314529 Norlander This three-year award supports U.S.-France cooperative research in materials theory between Peter A. J. Norlander at Rice University and Jean-Pierre Gauyacq and Dominique Teillet- Billy at the University of Paris, Orsay. The objective of their research is to increase understanding of the dynamics of negative ion formation in atom-surface scattering. This investigation will also include the study of effects such as the polarization of the atom and the image force near a metal surface. The U.S. investigator brings to this collaboration expertise in surface theory. This is complemented by the French investigators' expertise in atomic and molecular physics. The project also takes advantage of two complementary, yet contrasting methods for calculating energy shifts and the lifetimes of atomic states which were developed respectively by the U.S. and French groups. The development of a theory on how atoms/molecules interact with surfaces is fundamental to our understanding of processes such as catalysis and corrosion. This project will advance that theory and the field of surface physics in general. ***
