Natural linewidth analysis of d-band photoemission from Ag(110)

Abstract

We report a high-resolution angle-resolved study of photoemission linewidths observed for Ag(110). A careful data analysis yields k$-resolved upper limits for the inverse inelastic lifetimes of $d$-holes at the X-point of the bulk band structure. At the upper $d$-band edge the hole-lifetime is $τ_h \geq 22 $fs, i.e. more than one order of magnitude larger than predicted for a free-electron gas. Following calculations for $d$-hole dynamics in Cu (I.\ Campillo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., in press) we interpret the lifetime enhancement by a small scattering cross-section of $d$- and $sp$-states below the Fermi level. With increasing distance to $E_F$ the $d$-hole lifetimes get shorter because of the rapidly increasing density of d-states and contributions of intra-$d$-band scattering processes, but remain clearly above free-electron-model predictions.