Direct evidence for d-band involvement in the TiSe2 phase transition

We have investigated the Ti d-electronic states of stoichiometric TiSe₂ for k-vectors in the neighborhood of the L-point at temperatures above and below the critical temperature using angle-resolved photoemission. Strong changes observed in the spectra upon lowering the temperature definitely demostrate that the lattice-instability phase transition involves Ti d-electrons as required by an excitonic-insulator mechanism. The hypothesis that TiSe₂ at low temperatures is the first and only known example of an exitonic insulator, therefore, remains plausible after this crucial test.     

Giant core-exciton effects on Si(111) 7 × 7 surfaces

We present the first direct experimental evidence for a large surface influenced core-exciton effect on silicon. The Si(111) 7 × 7 L_2,3 absorption edge has been studied with core-level electron energy loss (ELS) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). An excitonic shift of ～1–2 eV have been found for transitions from Si(2p) to empty surface states.     

Intense X-ray induced formation of silver nanoparticles stabilized by biocompatible polymers

Colloidal Ag nanoparticles were formed by X-ray irradiation in the presence of a polymer. This new synthesis method is simple, rapid and leads to a high production yield. Compared to the citrate-reduced Ag colloidal, polymer-protected Ag nanoparticles are smaller in size and more stable—and therefore suitable for biomedical application—as verified by TEM observation, XAFS measurement and optical characterization. Ag nanoparticles so produced were also visualized in solution and in real time by a visible light microscope based on dark field light scattering. The color-derived size and distribution of Ag nanoparticles correlates well with the hydrodynamic size data.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of ruthenocuprates

We report on X-ray photoemission of core levels, valence band studies using angle-integrated photoemission, and magnetization measurements of ruthenocuprate and SrRuO₃ polycrystalline samples. The data indicate that the RuO₂ planes are the source of the energetics of the magnetic ordering. We also find that adding hydrogen leads to changes in the many-body response on both the CuO₂ and EuO planes. Received 23 August 2000