Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 60: Focus Session: Unoccupied States by Inverse Photoemission I

O 60.1: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:30–11:00, WILL/A317

Disentangling the origins of spin polarization in (inverse) photoemission from solid surfaces — •Jürgen Henk — Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany

The spin polarization of electronic states in solids can be probed by various photoemission-based techniques. We discuss how optical excitation modifies the spin polarization of the initial electronic states. Illustrative examples include Rashba-type surface states observed in photoemission (PE) from Au(111), the Dirac-like surface state in inverse photoemission (IPE) from W(110), and magnetic contrast in photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) from Fe(001). Instead of employing a full group-theoretical analysis, we introduce a simplified symmetry-based approach that enables a clear separation of the different contributions to the photoelectron spin polarization---arising from light polarization, spin-orbit coupling, and intrinsic spin textures. This framework facilitates the interpretation of spin-resolved measurements at surfaces without relying on fully relativistic photoemission calculations.

Keywords: photoelectron spectroscopy; spin polarization; spin-orbit coupling; magnetic dichroism