SPECTRA OF LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONS EXCITED BY SOFT X-RAYS

A study is made of the x-ray photoemission spectra of low-energy elect rons (E-kin=0-30 eV) and its dependence on the way in which the potent ials are applied to the entrance system of the analyzer. It is shown t hat under certain experimental conditions the spectrum consists solely of electrons emitted from the sample. The x-ray photoemission spectru m of pure silver is found to have a fine structure, which disappears w hen a surface layer of carbon or oxygen is deposited on the surface. T he spectrum then cakes on the ''cascade'' form. A possible interpretat ion of the fine structure is suggested in the framework of band theory . (C) 1997 American institute of Physics.