Study of 4f inner shell excitations in Gd and Tb using resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering

Inelastic scattering of 4d electrons near the 4d-4f threshold of Gd2O2S and Tb4O7 has been studied with monochromatic synchrotron radiation excitation . The emission in the vicinity of the 4d-4f threshold is dominated by inela stic and elastic scattering. The energy losses are due to 4f inner-shell ex citations in which the d-electrons (initial state 4d(10)4f(n)) are excited to the 4f level (intermediate state 4d(9)4f(n+1)) and then refill the open d-shell (final state 4d(10)4f(n+1)) leaving the 4f shell in an excited stat e. Our atomic calculations are in excellent agreement with the experimental emission spectra indicating strong localization of the 4f electrons. (C) 1 999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.