  Using a wave packet propagation approach, we find that the resonant charge
transfer process of H^- near a Cu(111) surface is strongly influenced by
transient hybrid states. These states originate from an ion-induced confinement
parallel to the surface together with the surface-localization character of the
metal potential along the surface normal. The lowest members of these states
have lifetimes of the order of interaction times in typical particle-surface
scattering experiments. The propagation of the electron probability density
provides clear evidence for this effect in visualizing the evolution and the
decay of these transient states.
