Electron-phonon coupling at surfaces and interfaces

Over the recent years, electronic surface states have been used for a detailed spectroscopic study of the electron-phonon (e-ph) interaction, both experimentally and theoretically. This review discusses the basic physics of e-ph coupling and how information can be obtained from angle-resolved photoemission experiments and first principles calculations. Several recent results for clean and adsorbate-covered surfaces, quantum wells and freestanding monolayers are also discussed.