Comment on "Quantitative x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy: Quadrupole effects, shake up, Shirley background, and relative sensitivity factors from a database of true x-ray photoelectron spectra"

TL;DR

This paper critiques a previous comparison study in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, highlighting errors that undermine the validity of their conclusions.

Contribution

It identifies and explains significant errors in Seah and Gilmore's analysis, clarifying the correct interpretation of experimental and theoretical data in XPS.

Findings

Seah and Gilmore's comparison contains serious errors.

The errors lead to misleading conclusions about XPS data.

Correct analysis clarifies the relationship between experimental and theoretical XPS data.

Abstract

This Comment demonstrates that a comparison analysis by Seah and Gilmore between experimental data on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy intensities and theoretical data by Trzhaskovskaya et al. is misleading due to a number of serious errors made by Seah and Gilmore (Phys. Rev. B, 73, 174113).