Correlation-induced double-plasmon excitation in simple metals studied by inelastic x-ray scattering.
We report a new type of peaklike structure observed in the tail of the dynamic structure factor of simple metals, measured by inelastic x-ray scattering. Based on the momentum-transfer dependence of the energy position and the intensity of this structure, it has been unambiguously attributed to intrinsic plasmon-plasmon excitations, an electronic correlation effect that was theoretically predicted by many-body perturbation theory of the homogeneous-electron-gas model beyond the random-phase approximation. This signature appears to be largely unaffected by electron-ion interaction effects. Thus a structure that is primarily caused by correlation effects in the electron gas has been found experimentally in the dynamic structure factor of simple metals.
Sternemann
C
C
Institute of Physics, University of Dortmund, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany.
Huotari
S
S
Vankó
G
G
Volmer
M
M
Monaco
G
G
Gusarov
A
A
Lustfeld
H
H
Sturm
K
K
Schülke
W
W