SFB Colloquium

The role of X-ray based electron spectroscopies in determining chemical, electronic and magnetic properties of solids is well known for a few decades. Recently, the unprecedented boost of research on ‘less than 3D’ materials’ and ‘less than 2D’ interfaces, as part of the quantum materials research, made clear that the control of spin, charge and orbital degrees of freedom will be one of the pillars, both experimentally and theoretically, of the future solid state science. Surface and interface effects are of utmost importance in this context, since it is well known that the electronic behaviour is severely influenced by the surface/interface environment (cleavage plane, electronic/structural reconstruction, defects, etc.). In this talk, recent Photoelectron Spectroscopy results obtained at Synchrotron Radiation facilities on topological insulators, transition metal dichalcogenides, and transition metal oxides will be presented, where the combination of angle, spin, time and depth-resolved experiments is able to reveal ‘hidden’ spectral features, connected to metallic and/or magnetic properties, as well as to underline the importance of dimensionality effects in quantum materials.