Theoretical and experimental electronic structure of Zr-based transition-metal glasses containing Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Rh, and Pd

Measured valence-band photoelectron spectra for the transition-metal glasses AₓZr_100-x ($A=Fe,{{0ex}{0ex}}Co,{{0ex}{0ex}}Ni,{{0ex}{0ex}}Cu,{{0ex}{0ex}}Rh,{{0ex}{0ex}}and{{0ex}{0ex}}Pd$, with $x$ approximately 25) are shown to be in good agreement with self-consistent energy-band state densities for ordered compounds in the Au${Cu}₃$ (fcc-like) crystal structure. The calculations and measurements both yield high Fermi-level state densities, account for core-level line shapes, and are consistent with the occurrence of superconductivity and with trends in the transition temperatures of glassy alloys of Zr with $3d$ transition metals.