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Photoelectron spectroscopyΒΆ

Photoelectron spectroscopy(PES) is based on the photoelectric effect, a physical phenomenon first characterized by Albert Einstein in 1905. It simply applies the photoelectric effect to free atoms or molecules instead of metals. In PES, a sample is bombarded with high-energy radiation, usually UV or X-ray, which causes electrons to be ejected from the sample. The ejected electrons travel from the sample to an energy analyzer, where their kinetic energies are recorded, and then to a detector, which counts the number of photoelectrons at various kinetic energies.

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  • Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) is an experimental technique used to determine the relative energies of electrons in atoms and molecules.
  • Photoelectron spectrometers work by ionizing samples using high-energy radiation (such as UV or x-rays) and then measuring the kinetic energies (KE\text{KE}KEstart text, K, E, end text) of the ejected electrons.
  • A PES spectrum is a graph of photoelectron count vs. binding energy.
  • The peaks in a PES spectrum correspond to electrons in different subshells of an atom. The peaks with the lowest binding energies correspond to valence electrons, while the peaks with higher binding energies correspond to core electrons.