The L absorption edge is a characteristic energy level at which the absorption of X-rays by an element increases significantly. This energy level corresponds to the binding energy of electrons in the L shell of an atom.
The L absorption edge is determined using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). This involves bombarding a sample with X-rays of varying energies and measuring the absorption of these X-rays. The energy at which there is a sharp increase in absorption is the L absorption edge.
The L absorption edge can provide information about the electronic structure of an element, including the number of electrons in the L shell and their binding energies. It can also be used to identify the presence of specific elements in a sample.
The L absorption edge can be affected by the chemical environment of the element, the oxidation state of the element, and the presence of neighboring atoms. It can also be affected by the energy and intensity of the incident X-rays.
The L absorption edge is widely used in various fields, including materials science, environmental science, and biological research. It can be used to study the structure and composition of materials, identify contaminants in the environment, and analyze the chemical makeup of biological samples.