Electron energy-loss spectra of clean and gas-covered Ni(100) surfaces

Electron energy-loss spectra have been measured on Ni(100) surfaces, clean and following oxygen and carbon monoxide adsorption, at primary energies of 40–300 eV. The observed peaks at 9.1, 14 and 19 eV in the clean-surface spectrum are ascribed to the bulk plasmon of the 4s electrons, the surface plasmon, and the bulk plasmon of the coupled 3d + 4s electron, respectively, and the weak but sharp peak at 33 eV is tentatively attributed to the localized many-body effect in the final state. Assignments of the loss structures on the gas-covered surfaces have been attempted.