Nonequilibrium magnetization dynamics of gadolinium studied by magnetic linear dichroism in time-resolved 4f core-level photoemission

The magnetic linear dichroism of the gadolinium 4f core level is studied in a time-resolved photoemission experiment employing laser pump- and synchrotron-radiation probe pulses. Upon optical excitation of the 5d6s valence electrons with femtosecond laser pulses, the magnetic order in the 4f spin system is reduced. Remarkably, the linear dichroism remains at 80% of the equilibrium contrast while the lattice temperature reaches the Curie temperature due to electron-phonon scattering. Contrasting itinerant ferromagnets, this shows that equilibration between the lattice and spin subsystems takes in Gd about 80 ps and is established in parallel with heat diffusion.     

Influence of the symmetry on the circular dichroism in angular resolved core-level photoemission

The model for angular resolved photoemission from adsorbed atoms is extended to account for the non-axial symmetry of atoms in a crystal field. In particular, circular dichroism in the angular distribution (CDAD) is theoretically investigated. A special emphasis is put on the case when incident photons are propagating along the principal axis of an atom in C_nv symmetry. The model, although mainly developed for adsorbates, may also be used as a base for emission from solid surfaces. An extension to simple bulk symmetries, like D_6h for hexagonal or O_h for cubic crystals, is included. The CDAD for normal incidence does not vanish in the extended model and reflects the symmetry of the adsorption site. Scattering induced final state effects are discussed for alkali metal adsorption. A numerical calculation of the emission from the shallow 4p core level of Rb atoms adsorbed in a (√3×√3)−R30° structure on a Pt(111) surface is presented. In this case even the extended photoemission model predicts the absence of CDAD. The appearance of CDAD is only possible due to the scattering of photoelectrons from the neighbouring atoms of the solid.     

Energy band gap and electron spin polarization in photoemission

A contribution to the electron spin polarization in photoemission is investigated for the transition from occupied states in conduction bands to the states whose energies lie in a band gap. This contribution can be either positive or negative.     

Plasmon excitation in core-level photoemission

The surface and bulk plasmon satellites in photoemission from a core level are calculated, treating the photoelectron quantum mechanically and including plasmon dispersion. The long wavelength plasmon excitations are suppressed by interference between intrinsic and extrinsic processes, giving featureless satellites at low electron kinetic energy. Structure develops as the electron kinetic energy increases.     

Observing spin polarization of individual magnetic adatoms

We have used spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy to observe the spin polarization state of individual Fe and Cr atoms adsorbed onto Co nanoislands. These magnetic adatoms exhibit stationary out-of-plane spin polarization, but have opposite sign of the exchange coupling between electron states of the adatom and the Co island surface state: Fe adatoms exhibit parallel spin polarization to the Co surface state while Cr adatoms exhibit antiparallel spin polarization. First-principles calculations predict ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic alignment of the spin moment for individual Fe and Cr adatoms on a Co film, respectively, implying negative spin polarization for Fe and Cr adatoms over the energy range of the Co surface state.     

Effects of configuration-dependent hybridization on core-level photoemission spectra

The Ni2p X-ray photoemission spectrum (XPS) for NiCl₂ is reanalyzed on the basis of a NiCl₆⁴⁻ cluster model. By taking into account the electron configuration dependence of the hybridization strengths between Ni3d and Cl3p orbitals, we show that the model can consistently reproduce the experimental 2p-XPS and the energy gap of the system.     

Revisiting the valence-band and core-level photoemission spectra of NiO

We have reexamined the valence-band (VB) and core-level electronic structure of NiO by means of hard and soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopies. The spectral weight of the lowest energy state was found to be enhanced in the bulk sensitive Ni 2p core-level spectrum. A configuration-interaction model including a bound state screening has shown agreement with the core-level spectrum and off- and on-resonance VB spectra. These results identify the lowest energy states in the core-level and VB spectra as the Zhang-Rice (ZR) doublet bound states, consistent with the spin-fermion model and recent ab initio calculations within dynamical mean-field theory. The results indicate that the ZR character first ionization (the lowest hole-addition) states are responsible for transport properties in NiO and doped NiO.