Measurement of Conduction-Electron Spin Relaxation Due to Rare Gases Physisorbed on a Lithium Surface

The conduction-electron spin-scattering cross sections of krypton and xenon atoms adsorbed on a lithium surface were determined by measurement of the conduction-electron spin-resonance linewidth of lithium films as a function of rare-gas coverage. The results indicate that there is a large pileup of conduction-electron density deep within the rare-gas adsorbate core, in agreement with current theoretical calculations of the electronic structure of rare-gas-on-metal systems.