Plasmons in monolayer Na, K and Rb films adsorbed on Ni(100)

Abstract

Electronic excitations in denser monolayer Na, K and Rb films and Na duolayer films adsorbed on a Ni(100) surface have been investigated using Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS). Lateral adatom distributions were monitored by LEED. Angular integrated EEL spectra from the ordered c(2 × 2)Na, coverage θ = 0.5, and the ordered hexagonal structures of K and Rb, θ = 0.29, show prominent losses at 3.1, 1.9 and 1.7 eV, of presumably collective nature. The loss energies shift with coverage as ∝ θ 0.4 and as ∝ θ 0.8 for the Na and K, Rb respectively. Angular resolved EEL spectra indicate an only weak dependence of the loss energies on the momentum transfer, Q. In particular the K and Rb losses seem to pass through shallow energy minima, which is predicted by the “box model”. Low energy losses observed at ≅1.3 and ≅1.0 eV for the c(2 × 2)Na and the hexagonal K and Rb, respectively, are tentatively identified with interband excitations. The observed interband energies yield, when introduced in the “box model”, 3.1., 2.3 and 2.4 eV for the Na, K and Rb, Q = 0 plasmon energies, which is in fair agreement with the observed plasmon loss energies.