The coupling of electrons of a (metal) surface to an adsorbate, or non-adiabatic effects in general, are often neglected in previous theoretical treatments of molecular dynamics of atoms or molecules adsorbed at surfaces. However, they can have a decisive influence on various phenomena, such the vibrational relaxation of the adsorbed species, inelastic molecule-surface scattering, and femtosecond-laser induced surface photochemistry. Fully quantum, multi-dimensional dynamical approaches are unfeasible in most cases and / or rely on far-going model assumptions. Recent years have seen the...
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