Resonant Phonons in Adsorbates

After a brief review on surface phonons, we focus on resonant phonons in adsorbed thin layers. Such resonances may in general be understood within the substrate bulk band as thin layer modes shiften and broaden by the interaction with the substrate phonons. These resonant phonons appear as well-defined peaks in the phonon density of states. Their experimental study started recently by Helium atom scattering spectroscopy. This review will end by a prospective revue done mostly after the presentation of two unpublished results. First the slab resonant phonons may almost be confined in the surface slab even for frequencies falling within the bulk phonon band, if the surface slab is separated from the substrate by a buffer layer. The other prospective unpublished result deals with a model system in which the propagating phonons reach a space point from which they can continue to propagate through two different finite in space channels before reaching again a homogeneous uniform path. Such a system exhibits some frequencies for which the transmission factor vanishes. This phenomenon is related to the resonances associated with the finite additional path offered to the propagation of the phonons.