Unified Behavior of Alkali Core-Level Binding-Energy Shifts Induced by sp Metals

Thin overlayers of Na, K, Rb, and Cs on different sp-metal substrates have been investigated using photoelectron spectroscopy. The alkali core levels show clearly resolved binding-energy shifts between the surface layer, the intermediate layer(s), and the interface layer. The magnitude of these shifts depends on sp metal and on alkali metal. The layer-resolved core-level binding-energy shifts are well reproduced by models based on a thermodynamical description. For three-layer alkali films the core-level binding energy of the intermediate layer is found to exhibit a small but significant shift between different sp-metal substrates. A simple relationship between the core-level binding-energy shift for the interface layer and the difference in rs value between the sp substrate and the adsorbate is shown to exist

Doping Dependence of the Electronic Structure of Ba_{1-x}K_{x}BiO_{3} Studied by X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

We have performed x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) studies of single crystal Ba_{1-x}K_{x}BiO_{3} (BKBO) covering the whole composition range $0 \leq x \leq 0.60$. Several features in the oxygen 1\textit{s} core XAS spectra show systematic changes with $x$. Spectral weight around the absorption threshold increases with hole doping and shows a finite jump between $x=0.30$ and 0.40, which signals the metal-insulator transition. We have compared the obtained results with band-structure calculations. Comparison with the XAS results of BaPb_{1-x}Bi_{x}O_{3} has revealed quite different doping dependences between BKBO and BPBO. We have also observed systematic core-level shifts in the XPS spectra as well as in the XAS threshold as functions of $x$, which can be attributed to a chemical potential shift accompanying the hole doping. The observed chemical potential shift is found to be slower than that predicted by the rigid band model based on the band-structure calculations.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures include

The irreversibility line of overdoped Bi_{2+x}Sr_{2-(x+y)}Cu_{1+y}O_{6 +- delta} at ultra-low temperatures and high magnetic fields

The irreversible magnetization of the layered high-T_{c} superconductor Bi_{2+x}Sr_{2-(x+y)}Cu_{1+y}O_{6 +- delta} (Bi-2201) has been measured by means of a capacitive torquemeter up to B=28 T and down to T=60 mK. No magnetization jumps, peak effects or crossovers between different pinning mechanisms appear to be present. The deduced irreversibility field B_{irr} can not be described by the law B_{irr}(T)=B_{irr}(0)(1-T/T_{c})^n based on flux creep, but an excellent agreement is found with the analytical form of the melting line of the flux lattice as calculated from the Lindemann criterion. The behavior of B_{irr}(T) obtained here is very similar to the resistive critical field of a Bi-2201 thin film, suggesting that magnetoresistive experiments are likely to be strongly influenced by flux lattice melting.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps figure

Changes in the local surface geometry with conserved adsorbate coverage and long-range order caused by annealing

The ordered c(2×2) Na on Al(100) and (3 × 3) R30°K on Al(111) structures formed at either 100 K or at room temperature are studied by high-resolution core-level spectroscopy. For both systems equal alkali coverages are found at these two temperatures. The core-level spectra, however, show strong changes with temperature. This behavior leads to the surprising conclusion that annealing at room temperature causes an irreversible change in the local geometry, i.e., of the adsorption site, of the overlayer even though neither the long-range order nor the adsorbate coverage changes

Layer dependent core level binding energy shifts : Na, K, Rb and Cs on Al(111)

Layer resolved core level spectra are presented for Na, K, Rb and Cs films on Al(111). From the development of the spectra, it is possible to distinguish emission from alkali atoms at the interface, in the bulk, and at the surface of the adsorbed layers. The core level binding energy shifts are discussed in terms of adhesion and interface segregation energies. It is found experimentally that the Al induced core level binding energy shifts of the alkalis are increasing with increasing atomic number of the alkali metal. This trend is qualitatively reproduced by semi-empirical calculations