Polarization-dependent hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy of solids

Highlights: •We show polarization dependence of hard X-ray photoemission spectra of solids. •Polarization-dependent core-level spectra are explained by theoretical predictions. •Difference in conduction electron symmetry between gold and silver is found. •Orbital symmetry in valence bands of compounds is revealed by our experiments. -- Abstract: We have developed a linear polarization-dependent hard X-ray photoemission (HAXPES) measurement system, by which the orbital contribution in the valence bands as well as the conduction electrons in solids can be revealed. Our experimental set up, recent progress and a few examples of the linear polarization dependence of HAXPES spectra are shown. It is also shown that the polarization dependence of the core-level spectra is fairly explained by theoretical calculations of photoelectron angular distributions for single atoms