The charge transfer (ionization) of hydrogen Rydberg atoms (principal quantum number $n=25-34$) incident at a Cu(100) surface is investigated. Unlike fully metallic surfaces, where the Rydberg electron energy is degenerate with the conduction band of
the metal, the Cu(100) surface has a projected bandgap at these energies, and only discrete image states are available through which charge transfer can take place. Resonant enhancement of charge transfer is observed at hydrogen principal quantum numbers for which the Rydberg energy matches the energy of one of the image states. The integrated surface ionization signals show clear periodicity as the energies of states with increasing $n$ come in and out of resonance with the image states. The velocity dependence of the surface ionization dynamics is also investigated. Decreased velocity of the incident H atom leads to a greater mean distance of ionization and a lower field required to extract the ion. The surface-ionization profiles (signal versus applied field) for `on resonance $n$ values show a changing shape as the velocity is changed, reflecting the restriction of the resonance to a certain range of applied field.
Wavepacket propagation calculations are reported for the interaction of a Rydberg hydrogen atom ($n=2-8)$ with Cu(111) and Cu(100) surfaces (represented by a Chulkov potential), in comparison with a Jellium surface. Both copper surfaces have a projec
ted band gap at the surface in the energy range degenerate with some or all of the Rydberg energies. The charge transfer of the Rydberg electron to the surface is found to be enhanced for $n$ values at which there is a near-degeneracy between the Rydberg energy level and an image state or a surface state of the surface. The enhancement is facilitated by the strong overlap of the surface image-state orbital lying outside the surface and the orbital of the incoming Rydberg atom. These calculations point to the possibility of using Rydberg-surface collisions as a probe of surface electronic structure.
