Surfaces of rare earth metals

The review considers the impact of modern surface science techniques on understanding the properties of rare earth metal surfaces. Methods for obtaining and evaluating clean surfaces are critically assessed, and the geometrical and electronic properties of the surface are compared with those of bulk metals. Low energy electron diffraction is available on only a limited range of single crystals, but electron spectroscopy has been applied extensively to clean polycrystalline materials. The insights gained imply both a continuation of bulk-like phenomena at the surface (strong exchange and correlation of 4f electrons and of core hole-4f interactions) and intrinsic surface effects such as 4f binding energy shifts, modified surface valence and anomalous surface magnetism.