Target states, ejected electron spectroscopy

Penning ioni2ation electron spectroscopy is also called (i) metastable atom electron spectroscopy (MAES), (ii) metastable deexdtation spectroscopy (MDS), (iii) metastable quenching spectroscopy (MQS), and (iv) metastable impact electron spectroscopy (MIES), where atom at metastable state is used instead of photon to ionize the target material When a slow, long-lived, electronically excited metastable atom hits a solid surface, most of its excitation energy is used to eject electrons from the surface. Unlike photons used for UPS, metastable atoms do not penetrate into the bulk of the solid. PIES, therefore, excites the outermost surface layer selectively (39). 

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