Cooper minima in the photoemission spectra of solids

Photon energy dependent valence band response of metallic nanoparticles

We show that the valence band response to photon impact in metallic nanoparticles is highly energy dependent. This is seen as drastic variations of cross sections in valence photoionization of free and initially charge-neutral nanosized metal clusters. The effect is demonstrated in a combined experimental and theoretical study of Rb clusters. The experimental findings are interpreted theoretically using a jellium model and superatom description. The variations are attributed to the changing overlap with the photon energy between the wave functions of diffuse delocalized valence electrons and continuum electrons producing a series of minima in the cross section.

Spectral line shape variations in time-resolved photoemission from a solid

Laser assisted photoemission by a subfemtosecond ultraviolet pulse is studied by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for a one-dimensional model crystal. Without the laser field, the shape and the energy location of the spectrum are determined by the energy dependence of the photoemission cross section. In the presence of the laser field, the time growth of the population of the final state is predicted to cause extremely sharp variations of spectral width as a function of release time. This can help enhance time resolution of the measurements. A simple phenomenological model to describe the line shape is proposed.

Interpretation of resonant photoemission spectra of solid actinide systems

It is shown that valence-band photoemission (PE) spectra of epitaxial hcp films of U metal may be understood within a one-step model of PE based on an itinerant description of the U 5f states. Particularly, the PE intensities of the f-derived bands are correctly reproduced for photon energies between 60 and 103 eV. It is found that a cross-section minimum of the Fermi-energy feature at h(nu) = 90-94 eV, which previously was assigned to a Fano antiresonance at the 5d-->5f excitation threshold, is mainly caused by a Cooper minimum. Analogous 5f cross-section variations in the region of the 5d-->5f resonances were obtained for UPd3 and Pu metal.