Owing to linearly polarized nature of synchrotron radiations, X-ray absorption spectroscopy allows us to investigate anisotropic local structures and vibrations. The determination of surface structures of molecularly chemisorbed SO2 on Pd (100) and Ni (100) is briefly reviewed as a suitable demonstration of the technique. Anisotropic vibrations of the surface S-Ni bonds in S/Ni (110) - c (2×2) are also discussed.
