Bayes-Turchin Analysis of Overlapping L-Edges EXAFS Data of Iron

Spin polarized and spin averaged extended x-ray absorption fine structure ((M)EXAFS) data were measured at temperatures of 180 K and 296 K in the soft x-ray energy regime of the overlapping L-edges of an iron film grown on V(110). The absorption coefficients were analyzed with the Bayes-Turchin procedure. The analysis yields the correction function to the atomic-like background-absorption coefficient calculated by FEFF8 and reveals components of atomic EXAFS oscillations. The EXAFS Debye-Waller (DW) parameters were determined. Their split into a thermal and a structural contribution was not possible without theoretical input since the two temperatures in this experiment were not sufficiently far apart from each other and the k range of the data was too small. The a priori values of the thermal contribution to the DW parameters were therefore derived from a force-field model with two spring constants. They were adjusted to DW parameters calculated from Born-von Karman force constants which had been obtained from inelastic neutron scattering. Those two spring constants also nicely reproduce the unprojected vibrational density of states deduced from phonon dispersion curves. The MEXAFS oscillations can be described by the rigid-band model and the L2and L3-EXAFS components. A negative exchange-related energy is obtained by fitting the MEXAFS signal in the extended energy region. This is in contrast to the predictions of the Hedin-Lundquist functional and the Dirac-Hara functional used in the FEFF8 code.