Element-specific electronic and structural dynamics using transient XUV and soft X-ray spectroscopy

Abstract

Transient extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and soft X-ray absorption techniques can measure element-specific ultrafast carrier and structural dynamics in materials or multilayer junctions. However, interpretation of the excited-state spectra is not straightforward. The core-hole couples with valence states, distorting the measured spectra. In this perspective, we describe the implementation and interpretation of XUV experiments. This description includes a guide for how to design a transient XUV/soft X-ray spectroscopy experiment by choosing a suitable edge and corresponding X-ray sources. We particularly focus on the rising use of XUV spectroscopy for understanding solar energy materials, such as measurements of polaron formation, electron and hole kinetics, and layer-resolved charge transport in junctions. The ability to measure photoexcited carriers in each layer of a multilayer junction, as well as associated reaction products, could prove particularly impactful in the study of molecules, materials, and their combinations that lead to functional devices in photochemistry and photoelectrochemistry.

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