The geometrical and vibrational properties of the Rh(111) surface

Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) data have been used to characterize the clean Rh(111) surface. The surface geometry, the degree of surface relaxation, and the Debye temperature have been determined. In the Debye temperature measurement, specular LEED beam intensities were monitored as a function of temperature over a range of electron energies from approximately 30 to 1000 eV. It was found that the bulk Debye temperature is 380 ± 23 K, and the normal component of the Debye temperature at the lowest electron energy used is 197 ± 12 K. The Rh(111) surface relaxation has been determined both by a convolution-transform analysis and by dynamical calculations. Within experimental error, neither expansion nor contraction of the topmost layer has been detected. The results of the convolution-transform analysis of specular beams at two angles of incidence and of a nonspecular beam at normal incidence suggest an expansion of the topmost layer of 3 ± 5% of the bulk layer spacing. In agreement with this, comparisons between the results of the dynamical calculation and experimental data for five nonspecular beams at normal incidence suggest that the surface layer relaxes by 0 ± 5%. In addition, the dynamical calculations indicate that the topmost layer maintains an fcc structure.