Fluorescence-polarization detection of the scattering of molecular beams by a surface

We investigate analytically the effect of the forces that act both in the plane of a scattering surface and normally to it on the polarized fluorescence of reflected molecules in forward scattering. We show that as the velocity of the beam of incident molecules increases, the polarization degree of the fluorescence of reflected molecules becomes substantially different from that of free and/or desorbed molecules. Therefore, the detection of the scattering of molecular beams by a surface using the polarization degree of fluorescence can serve as a rather reliable means of diagnosing surfaces and determining the modes of scattering.