  The role of incoherent tunneling in the diffusion of light atoms on surfaces
is investigated. With this purpose, a Chudley-Elliot master equation
constrained to nearest neighbors is considered within the Grabert-Weiss
approach to quantum diffusion in periodic lattices. This model is applied to
recent measurements of atomic H and D on Pt(111), rendering friction
coefficients that are in the range of those available in the literature for
other species of adsorbates. A simple extension of the model has also been
considered to evaluate the relationship between coverage and tunneling, and
therefore the feasibility of the approach. An increase of the tunneling rate
has been observed as the surface coverage decreases.
