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Electronic Excitations in Some Transition Metals and Their Oxides. Characteristic Energy Loss Measurements up to 50 eV
Author(s) -
Frandon J.,
Brousseau B.,
Pradal F.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.2220980140
Subject(s) - electron , atomic physics , excitation , valence electron , core electron , valence (chemistry) , spectral line , transition metal , quasiparticle , electron energy loss spectroscopy , atomic electron transition , materials science , chemistry , condensed matter physics , physics , superconductivity , quantum mechanics , catalysis , organic chemistry , astronomy , biochemistry
The characteristic energy losses suffered by a 20 keV electron beam through thin films of some transition metals (Sc, Y, Zr, Hf) and of their oxides are measured using a magnetic spectrograph up to 50 eV. The energy loss function — Im 1/ε and the complex dielectric constant are calculated. It is shown that the electron excitation spectra of metals contain two main contributions in this energy range: one due to collective excitations of the conduction electrons, the other to the excitation of inner p‐electrons. In the case of oxides the spectra display three strong structures: there are probably two collective excitations of valence electrons followed by the excitation of inner p‐electrons of the metal.