Unoccupied electronic states of Fe 3 O 4 (100): An angle-resolved inverse-photoemission study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present an experimental study that offers first insights into the unoccupied electronic states of a pristine ( 2 × 2 ) R 45 ∘ reconstructed Fe 3 O 4 (100) surface. We initially demonstrate the successful sample preparation by analyzing the surface periodicity and chemical composition by low-energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy, respectively. Using angle-resolved inverse photoemission, we study the unoccupied electronic states. We observe three nondispersive emissions, one dominant feature around 2 eV above the Fermi level and two additional ones at higher energies. For the low-lying triple-split feature, we propose two possible interpretations based on former theoretical studies. We either ascribe it to 3 d -related bandgroups originating from tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated bulk iron atoms or attribute it to a mixture of 3 d states originating from octahedrally coordinated iron atoms within the bulk and the reconstructed surface layer. The high-lying features are ascribed to bulk bands based on the experimentally observed characteristics.
Authors: Jan Bieling, Markus Donath
Institution: University of Münster
Language: English
Subfield: Surfaces, Coatings and Films
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: Universität Bielefeld
OpenAlex ID: W4407239863