High-resolution measurements of 40-keV electrons scattered over $44.3°$ from evaporated carbon films are presented. The observed width of the energy distribution of electrons scattered from carbon is significantly larger than the experimental energy resolution, and its position is shifted to lower energy. Measurements were done for transmission and reflection geometries for thin films with thicknesses varying from $90\mathrm{\AA }$ to $1400\mathrm{\AA }$. The observed peak shape is largely independent of the thickness and measurement geometry. The peak shape deviates from Gaussian in all cases, in a way consistent with theories that describe these processes beyond the impulse approximation. The energy shift of the carbon peak is measured by evaporating a small amount of Au on these films. Separation of the Au and C peak is somewhat smaller than calculated assuming scattering from free C and Au atoms, but independent of measurement geometry. Finally spectra were measured from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) films. Now different widths are observed in reflection geometry and transmission geometry. This is attributed to the anisotropy of the motion of the C atoms in HOPG. Also the $\mathrm{Au}\text{−}\mathrm{C}$ separation is slightly orientation dependent for HOPG. All observations agree at least semiquantitatively with neutron Compton scattering results, a related scattering experiment that studies neutron-atom collisions at similar momentum transfers.

• Received 28 June 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.74.205407