The Interaction of Inert Atoms with Solid Surfaces: Modification of the Equation of State of a Noble Gas

摘要

The thermodynamics of a gas of closed-shell atoms is studied when the gas is in an enclosure whose walls are covered by some adsorbing material. The gas-surface interaction is seen to modify the equation of state, and the pressure deviates from the perfect gas law by a factor proportional to the ratio of the surface area of the adsorber to the volume of the box. A possible experiment to test this finding is suggested for the system of helium gas on a substrate of rutile. The process of physical adsorption is related to the diffraction of an atom by the periodic potential structure of the surface followed by its capture in the surface field. (Author)