X-ray absorption at the oxygen K edge in cubic f oxides examined using a full multiple-scattering approach

Abstract

The O K-edge x-ray absorption near-edge-structure (XANES) spectra of UO2 and CeO2 are presented and interpreted. Using different-size clusters around the excited atom in the full multiple-scattering (MS) simulation, we are able to link the features present in the spectra of each oxide to its specific atomic arrangement and electronic structure. The structures at the edge originate from oxygen 2p states hybridized with f and d orbitals of the cation split by the cubic crystal field. All of the other features come from MS with the neighbouring shells of the central oxygen atoms.