How Does Maximum Likelihood Estimate Factor Loadings in PCA Path Models?

[WWGD]

TL;DR

Trying to understand the role of Maximum Likelihood in PCA.

Hi,
I am looking into a text on PCA obtained through path diagrams ( a diagram rep of the relationship between factors and the dependent and independent variables) and correlation matrices . There is a "reverse" exercise in which we are given a correlation matrix there is mention of the use of Max Likelihood used to obtain a path model that uses a single factor in PCA. I am having trouble figuring out just what parameter and even what population we are using to derive a path diagram with a single ( or any number of ) factors. Thanks.