Comparison of the Characteristic Energy Losses of Electrons with the Fine Structure of the X-Ray Absorption Spectra

Comparison of the characteristic energy losses of electrons in several materials with the fine structure found on the short-wavelength side of the x-ray $K$-absorption edge indicates that there is a correlation between the two phenomena. This leads us to believe that many of the characteristic energy losses may be due to excitation of the valence electrons to higher allowed energy levels. It is also shown that, in general, the energy-loss spectra are similar for metals which are neighbors in the periodic table, and that there is some dependence on the crystal lattice constant.