Rumpling of LiF(001) surface from fast atom diffraction

Quantum diffraction of fast atoms scattered from the topmost layer of surfaces under grazing angles of incidence can be employed for the analysis of detailed structural properties of insulator surfaces. From comparison of measured and calculated diffraction patterns we deduce the rumpling of the topmost surface layer of LiF(001) (i.e., an inward shift of Li(+) ions with respect to F(-) ions). The effect of thermal vibrations on the measurement of rumpling is accounted for by ab initio calculations of the mean-square vibrational amplitudes of surface ions. At room temperature this leads to a reduction of the apparent rumpling by 0.008 angstrom. We then obtain a rumpling of ( 0.05 +/- 0.04) angstrom, which improves its accuracy achieved in previous work.