Giorgio Benedek, former Full Professor of Structure of Matter, is currently Emeritus Professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, visiting professor at the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) in San Sebastian, Spain, Director of the Erice International School of Solid State Physics at the Erice Ettore Majorana Centre,  and a Foreign Member of the Royal Academy of Belgium. He is recipient of the International Franqui Chair, Belgium,  of the Alexander von Humboldt Award,  and co-recipient of the 2014 International Prize for Physics of the Lincei National Academy of Italy (with Diederik Wiersma) and the Max-Planck Prize 1992 with J. Peter Toennies.   Prof. Dr. J. Peter Toennies • Assistant from 1957 – 1998 at the Physics Department of the University of Bonn • Director at the Max Planck Institut für Strömungsforschung in Göttingen from 1969 – 1998 • Emeritus Director since 1998 • Honorary Degrees from University of Göteborg (Sweden) and Amherst College (USA) • Member of the National Academy of Science (Leopoldina) Halle,  Germany and corresponding member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences. • Europhysics Hewlett-Packard Condensed Matter Division Prize (with G. Ertl and H. Ibach) , the Stern- Gerlach Medal of the German Physical Society and other international prizes including the Max-Planck Prize 1992 with Giorgio Benedek.

• Historical Survey.- The Theory of Surface Phonons.- Surface Forces and Structures from the Dispersion of Surface Phonons.- Theoretical Methods of Surface Dynamics.- The Atom-Surface Potential.- Theory of Atom-Surface Phonon Scattering.- Theory of Atom-Surface Phonon Scattering.- Experimental Methods.- Intensities and Resolution of HAS Experiments.- Experimental Results.- Vibrations of Adsorbates and Thin Films.- New Horizons.

“Even surface scientists who do not work with atom scattering will appreciate the book for its comprehensive overview. I can recommend it also for master and doctoral students in this field because it promotes the basic understanding to a high degree.” (Wolfgang E. Ernst, Microscopy and Microanalysis, Vol. 26 (1), February, 2020)“The target reader is possibly an experienced PhD student, or a colleague. … We really have to thank Peter and Giorgio for having written a book that is a guide to younger researchers, even devoted to other subjects: theory and experiments are working together, mutually understanding the critical issues, so that any detail is suitably addressed and, finally, understood.” (Leo Miglio, Il Nuovo Saggiatore, Vol. 35 (5-6), 2019)