Photoemission linear dichroism reveals cubic wave functions
Experimental technique can be applied to development of new functional materials, such as rare-earth-free magnets
A research team led by Professor Akira SEKIYAMA (Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University under collaboration with RIKEN, Ibaraki University, Ritsumeikan University, Hiroshima University, and Setsunan University) has successfully and perfectly determined the anisotropic localized charge distribution of the rare-earth compound in cubic symmetry, which has been very difficult to directly probe, by means of linear dichroism in angle-resolved core-level photoemission for the first time. The experimental technique developed there will be expected to be applied for many new functional materials, for instance, rare-earth-free magnets, to reveal their anisotropic charge distributions deviated from spherical symmetry, which often become a key property for the function.
This research study has been published in Journal of the Physical Society of Japan (JPSJ) as the Editors’ Choice article in June, 2015.
Fig. 1: Theoretically simulated polarization-dependent angle-resolved core-level photoemission spectra in cubic symmetry.
(a,b) Comparison of the experimental core-level photoemission spectra with the theoretically simulated ones.
(c) Unraveled anisotropic 4f charge distribution for the
target material YbB12. (d) Crystal structure of YbB12.
Related Links
Osaka University School of Engineering Science Division of Material Physics Sekiyama Laboratory
http://decima.mp.es.osaka-u.ac.jp
This research study has been introduced in the News and Comments in JPSJ listed below:
http://journals.jps.jp/doi/full/10.7566/JPSJNC.12.08
The article can be freely downloaded within one year:
http://journals.jps.jp/doi/full/10.7566/JPSJ.84.073705
