Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy identifies emitted X-rays by photon energy. An incident electron beam can create inner-shell vacancies; subsequent atomic transitions generate Characteristic X-rays whose energies help identify constituent chemical elements.
A calibrated detector produces an emission spectrum containing peaks and background. Comparing peak counts can support composition measurements, but absorption within the sample, overlapping lines and detector response affect the result. The brightness recorded by an electron microscope is a different observable from elemental identification by spectral lines. [ref]
Electron energy loss spectroscopy measures the energy transferred from incident electrons to a specimen. A transmitted-electron spectrometer separates nearly unscattered electrons from electrons that excited collective modes, atomic transitions or core-level processes.
The zero-loss feature supplies an energy reference, and losses can be reported as . Element-specific edges and their energy-loss near-edge structure constrain composition and bonding. A thicker specimen can produce several losses in one trajectory, so the recorded electron energy loss spectroscopy response need not equal a single-interaction response. [ref]
Electron energy-loss spectroscopy by JEOL. JEOL EELS glossary: inelastic-scattering spectra and their information
Energy-loss near-edge structure is the detailed shape near an inner-shell excitation edge in an electron energy loss spectroscopy measurement. Transition probabilities sample accessible unoccupied electronic states, so local bonding and orientation affect the edge shape as well as elemental identity.
Comparing two specimens containing the same element can therefore reveal different electronic environments. Interpretation must account for instrumental energy resolution, the incident beam's energy spread and lifetime broadening of the states involved. [ref]
Electronic State Analysis by Monochromated STEM-EELS by JEOL. JEOL, Electronic State Analysis by Monochromated STEM-EELS: ELNES and resolution limits
A small peak difference alone does not uniquely determine one atomic arrangement. Articles by others on the same topic
Electron spectroscopy is a technique used to study the electronic structure of materials by analyzing the energies of electrons that are emitted from a sample. This method involves the interaction of photons (light) or electrons with matter, leading to the ejection of electrons from the material. The energies and intensities of these emitted electrons provide valuable information about the electronic states, chemical composition, and bonding characteristics of the sample.