LEED Peak Widths: a Fabry-Perot Etalon Analogue

Abstract

An analogy is drawn between the theory of the Fabry-Perot etalon for multiple reflections between two mirrors and that of the reflections between atomic layers with absorption in LEED. The analogy leads to an estimate of the LEED 'finesse', which in turn explains the widths and low intensities of LEED intensity versus voltage features. It is also shown that this explanation is consistent with the widely accepted Uncertainty Principle explanation.