SPIN-POLARIZED METASTABLE ATOM DE-EXCITATION SPECTROSCOPY: A NEW PROBE OF THE DYNAMICS OF METASTABLE ATOM-SURFACE INTERACTIONS

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dc.creatorHART, MARK WHITNEY
dc.date.accessioned2007-05-09T19:44:51Z
dc.date.available2007-05-09T19:44:51Z
dc.date.issued1987
dc.description.abstractMetastable Atom De-excitation Spectroscopy (MDS) provides a powerful technique with which to investigate surface electronic structure with unparalleled surface specificity. In this technique a thermal energy beam of noble-gas metastable atoms is directed at the surface under study and the kinetic energy distribution of ejected electrons that result from metastable atom de-excitation is measured. Although the measured distribution contains information about the electronic structure of the outermost surface layer, its detailed analysis requires knowledge of the dynamics of the metastable atom-surface interaction. In the present work, these dynamics have been investigated directly, for the first time, by use of spin-labeling techniques. The electron spins on the incident metastable atoms are polarized and the spin-polarization of the ejected electrons is measured with a Mott polarimeter. Results are reported for Cu(100) and Ni(111) surfaces under a variety of surface conditions. The data indicate that metastable atom-surface interactions may be more complex than is generally assumed and thus suggest that assumptions inherent in earlier analyses of MDS spectra merit additional investigation. The present work further demonstrates the power of spin-resolved measurements in the study of particle-surface interactions and in surface spectroscopies in general.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.callnoThesis Phys. 1987 Hart
dc.identifier.citationHART, MARK WHITNEY. "SPIN-POLARIZED METASTABLE ATOM DE-EXCITATION SPECTROSCOPY: A NEW PROBE OF THE DYNAMICS OF METASTABLE ATOM-SURFACE INTERACTIONS." (1987) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/16065">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/16065</a>.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/16065
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.subjectCondensed matter physics
dc.titleSPIN-POLARIZED METASTABLE ATOM DE-EXCITATION SPECTROSCOPY: A NEW PROBE OF THE DYNAMICS OF METASTABLE ATOM-SURFACE INTERACTIONS
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialText
thesis.degree.departmentPhysics
thesis.degree.disciplineNatural Sciences
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy
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