Abstract
Atomic-scale structures of surface layers determined by synchrotron diffraction are introduced. Typical X-ray diffraction methods such as surface diffraction and standing waves are summarized. We explain the standard procedure for refining a surface structure model using as an example water molecules adsorbed on a metal crystal surface. We also introduce a hot topic related to the phase problem in surface crystallography: model-independent imaging methods recently developed by several research groups using standing waves and crystal-truncationrod scattering. These methods have enabled atomic-scale visualization of surfaces and interfaces of crystals.
