Vibrational Energy Redistribution in a Gas-Surface Encounter: State-to-State Scattering of CH_{4} from Ni(111)

The fate of vibrational energy in the collision of methane (CH_{4}) in its antisymmetric C-H stretch vibration (ν_{3}) with a Ni(111) surface has been studied in a state-to-state scattering experiment. Laser excitation in the incident molecular beam prepared the J=1 rotational state of ν_{3}, and a bolometer in combination with selective laser excitation detected the scattered methane. The rovibrationally resolved scattering distributions reveal very efficient vibrational energy redistribution from ν_{3} to the symmetric C-H stretch vibration (ν_{1}). The branching ratio ν_{1}/ν_{3} is near 0.4 and insensitive to changes in incident kinetic energy in the range from 100 to 370 meV. State-resolved angular distributions and measurements of the residual Doppler linewidths prove that the scattering is direct. The observed vibrationally inelastic scattering provides direct experimental evidence for surface-induced vibrational energy redistribution.