Resonant electron exchange scattering in late transition metal monoxides

Intra-atomic d-d transitions in NiO(100) and CoO(100) have been investigated with angle-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) at primary energies close to the metal 3s excitation threshold. Electron exchange scattering was found to be resonantly enhanced at the 3s threshold due to the temporary formation of a negative ion core state and its subsequent decay via Auger-like transitions. In both oxides the threshold is lowered several eV due to a strong electron-core hole interaction. Angle-dependent studies reveal a different dependency of exchange processes on the scattering angle as compared with nonresonant measurements and reveal a different angle dependence for each specific d-d transition. It is suggested that in these oxides large-angle single-step inelastic scattering contributes significantly to the EELS measurements in reflection mode. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.