THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUGER-SPECTROSCOPY AS A PROBE OF LOCAL ELECTRONIC-STRUCTURE

This review is concerned with the development of Auger spectroscopy as a probe of local electronic structure. The contribution that CCC, CCV and CVV Auger transitions can make to the study of electronic structure is reviewed and the appropriate theoretical context for the interpretation of the spectra produced by each process is discussed. It is shown how Auger spectroscopy can yield insight into on-site electron correlation, charge transfer and electron screening in a variety of systems and can be used to develop potential models that give rise to a new scale of electronegativity. Studies of particular transitions reveal the local electron configuration and the shape of the local density of states in the vicinity of a core-ionised site. Auger profiles are sensitive to the hybridisation between d bands and sp bands and to the localisation of screening charge. The recent development of high performance instruments and of sophisticated theoretical techniques is allowing Auger spectroscopy to reach its full potential as a probe of local electronic structure.