Spectroscopy of metal surface states by inverse photoemission

In the past decade inverse photoemission has proved to be a technique well suited to study unoccupied bulk and surface electronic states of solids. This paper presents a brief review focusing on the spectroscopy of surface states on metal surfaces and how these states are influenced by simple adsorbates, surface reconstructions or the presence of a ferromagnetic substrate.

The experimental observations are discussed within the framework of a nearly free electron model of surface states.