Disorder broadening of core levels: Insights into alloy electronic structure

The distribution of core level binding energies in disordered metallic alloys is reviewed. Results of ab initio calculations and experimental electron spectroscopy are reviewed and interpreted using intuitive charge models that emphasize the underlying physics. The opportunity for exploiting the core disorder broadening phenomenon for environment-resolved spectroscopy is discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.