Direct measurement of core-level relaxation dynamics on a surface-adsorbate system.
The coupling between electronic states in a surface-adsorbate system is fundamental to the understanding of many surface interactions. In this Letter, we present the first direct time-resolved observations of the lifetime of core-excited states of an atom adsorbed onto a surface. By comparing laser-assisted photoemission from a substrate with a delayed Auger decay process from an adsorbate, we measure the lifetime of the 4d(-1) core level of xenon on Pt(111) to be 7.1+/-1.1 fs. This result opens up time-domain measurements of surface dynamics where energy-resolved measurements may provide incomplete information.
Miaja-Avila
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JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA. Luis.Miaja-Avila@colorado.edu
Saathoff
G
G
Mathias
S
S
Yin
J
J
La-o-vorakiat
C
C
Bauer
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M
Aeschlimann
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Murnane
M M
MM
Kapteyn
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