2025/06/17 by Dergham, P., Prigent, C., Brassart, Ch. V. Ahmad A. +7
#Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2506.15003
We present evidence that the detection of surface magnetism without the application of an external magnetic field is possible by studying the x-ray emission of highly charged ions interacting at grazing incidence with the sample. Measuring the 3 keV n=2 → 1 transition in the interaction of Ar\textsuperscript17+ with a nickel sample at various temperatures gives access to the n=2 ion population. The latter evolves from a half-filled to a full shell during the ferro-paramagnetic phase transition of the sample, with the ferromagnetic phase reflecting the filling blocking due to Pauli principle. This finding puts an end to a longstanding controversy arising from contradictory studies of ion--surface interaction using Auger spectroscopy.