Spin Polarized Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy on Fe(100) Thin Films Grown on Ag(100)

We report sharp spin-dependent energy loss features in electron scattering from bcc Fe(100) thin films grown on Ag(100). Majority spin features are observed at {approx}1.8 and 2.5 eV energy loss, and a minority spin feature is observed at {approx}2.0 eV energy loss. The majority spin peaks are attributed to spin-flip exchange scattering from the Fe films, with the lowest energy feature corresponding to the exchange splitting for the Fe. The minority spin peak is attributed to non-flip exchange scattering with an energy corresponding to the separation between occupied and unoccupied minority spin bands

Magnetic x-ray circular dichroism in nickel-gold multilayers

Magnetic circular dichroism in x-ray absorption is used to investigate the in-plane, remnant magnetization of well-characterized Ni{sub 0.48}/Au{sub 0.52} multilayers. Large superlattice strains are found in this multilayer system for samples with a 2nm layer pair spacing. A larger dichroism is found in the Ni 2p absorption edge for a 1.8 nm than for a 4.4 nm layer pair sample. The larger dichroism is consistent with a larger magnitude of in-plane strain for the Ni layers and a larger total magnetic anisotropy energy as previously shown from magnetization curves

The Spin- and Angel-Resolved Photelectron Spectrometer

A spin- and angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectrometer for the study of magnetic materials will be discussed. It consists of a turntable with electron lenses connected to a large hemispherical analyzer. A mini-Mott spin detector is fitted to the output of the hemispherical analyzer. This system, when coupled to a synchrotron radiation source will allow determination of a complete set of quantum numbers of a photoelectron. This instrument will be used to study ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic and nonmagnetic materials. Some prototypical materials systems to be studied with this instrument system will be proposed

A High Energy X-Ray and Neutron Scattering Study of Iron Phosphate Glasses Containing Uranium

The atomic structure of iron phosphate glasses containing uranium has been studied by complementary neutron and x-ray scattering techniques. by combining x-ray and neutron structure factors, detailed information about different pair interactions has been obtained. Most of the basic structural features such as coordination numbers and O-O and P-O distances in uranium containing glasses are the same as those in the base glass of batch composition 40Fe2O3-60P2O5 (mol %). However, the Fe-O distances change slightly with the addition of uranium. The observed structural parameters support a structural model in which the waste elements occupy voids in the Fe-O-P network, hence, not altering the basic structure of the parent iron phosphate glass

The Evolution of Ga and as Core Levels in the Formation of Fe/GaAs (001): A High Resolution Soft X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic Study

A high resolution soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study of Ga and as 3d core levels has been conducted for Fe/GaAs (001) as a function of Fe thickness. This work has provided unambiguous evidence of substrate disrupting chemical reactions induced by the Fe overlayer—a quantitative analysis of the acquired spectra indicates significantly differing behavior of Ga and as during Fe growth, and our observations have been compared with existing theoretical models. Our results demonstrate that the outdiffusing Ga and as remain largely confined to the interface region, forming a thin intermixed layer. Whereas at low coverages Fe has little influence on the underlying GaAs substrate, the onset of substrate disruption when the Fe thickness reaches 3.5 Å results in major changes in the energy distribution curves (EDCs) of both as and Ga 3d cores. Our quantitative analysis suggests the presence of two additional as environments of metallic character: one bound to the interfacial region and another which, as confirmed by in situ oxidation experiments, surface segregates and persists over a wide range of overlayer thickness. Analysis of the corresponding Ga 3d EDCs found not two, but three additional environments—also metallic in nature. Two of the three are interface resident whereas the third undergoes outdiffusion at low Fe coverages. Based on the variations of the integrated intensities of each component, we present a schematic of the proposed chemical makeup of the Fe/GaAs (001) system

Study of f electron correlations in nonmagnetic Ce by means of spin resolved resonant photoemission

We have studied the spin-spin coupling between two f electrons of nonmagnetic Ce by means of spin resolved resonant photoemission using circularly polarized synchrotron radiation. The two f electrons participating in the 3d{sub 5/2} {yields} 4f resonance process are coupled in a singlet while the coupling is veiled in the 3d{sub 3/2} {yields} 4f process due to an additional Coster-Kronig decay channel. The identical singlet coupling is observed in the 4d {yields} 4f resonance process. Based on the Ce measurements, it is argued that spin resolved resonant photoemission is a unique approach to study the correlation effects, particularly in the form of spin, in the rare-earths and the actinides

Observation of Dynamical spin shielding in Ce: Why It Matters for Pu Electronic Structure

In a series of experiments and linked theoretical modeling, the range of possible solutions for Pu electronic structure has been dramatically reduced. Nevertheless, the key issue of electron correlation remains

An Internal Report: Experimental Proof of Dynamical Spin Shielding in Ce from Spin-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Using Fano Effect measurements upon polycrystalline Ce, we have observed a phase reversal between the spectral structure at the Fermi Edge and the other 4f derived feature near a binding energy of 2 eV. The Fano Effect is the observation of spin polarized photoelectron emission from NONMAGNETIC materials, under chirally selective excitation, such as circularly polarized photons. Within various models, the peak at the Fermi Energy (f{sup 1} peak, quasiparticle peak, Kondo peak) is predicted to be the manifestation of the electrons which shield the otherwise unpaired spin associated with the peak at 2 eV (f{sup 0} peak or Lower Hubbard Band). Utilizing high-energy photoelectron spectroscopy, on and off resonance, the bulk nature and f-character of both features have been confirmed. Thus, observation of phase reversal between the f{sup 0} and f{sup 1} peak is a direct experimental proof of spin shielding in Ce, confirming the original model of Gunnarsson and Shoenhammer, albeit within a Hubbard picture

The Evolution of Ga and As Core Levels in the Formation of Fe/GaAs(001): A High Resolution Soft X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic Study

A high resolution soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study of Ga and As 3d core levels has been conducted for Fe/GaAs (001) as a function of Fe thickness. This work has provided unambiguous evidence of substrate disrupting chemical reactions induced by the Fe overlayer--a quantitative analysis of the acquired spectra indicates significantly differing behavior of Ga and As during Fe growth, and our observations have been compared with existing theoretical models. Our results demonstrate that the outdiffusing Ga and As remain largely confined to the interface region, forming a thin intermixed layer. Whereas at low coverages Fe has little influence on the underlying GaAs substrate, the onset of substrate disruption when the Fe thickness reaches 3.5 {angstrom} results in major changes in the energy distribution curves (EDCs) of both As and Ga 3d cores. Our quantitative analysis suggests the presence of two new As environments of metallic character; one bound to the interfacial region and another which, as confirmed by in-situ oxidation experiments, surface segregates and persists over a wide range of overlayer thickness. Analysis of the corresponding Ga 3d EDCs found not two, but three new environments--also metallic in nature. Two of the three are interface-resident whereas the third undergoes outdiffusion at low Fe coverages. Based on the variations of the integrated intensities of each component, we present a schematic of the proposed chemical make-up of the Fe/GaAs (001) system