A study of LaH3 by auger electron appearance potential spectroscopy

The Auger electron appearance potential spectra (AEAPS) of M_4,5 levels of lanthanum in the elemental state and in LaH₃ are presented. AEAPS measures the total differential secondary electron yield from the surface constituents as a function of incident electron energy. In the presence of a 3d hole, the 4f level is pulled down below the Fermi energy, E_F. In the metallic La spectrum this is seen as a shoulder on the low energy side of the main peak, but in the LaH₃ spectrum this shoulder disappears and is replaced by two peaks, again on the low energy side. The high binding energy satellite reported in the M₅ level XPS spectra in La insulating compounds has been attributed to the lowering of the 4f level above the ligand band. Since no high binding energy satellite is observed in the M_4,5 level AEAPS of LaH₃, the lowest energy peak is assigned as the transition of the 3d electron to the 4f level pulled down below the hydrogen induced band. The other peak is related to the partially filled hydrogen induced band below E_F. Tentative energy level diagrams for these transitions are proposed.