Inelastic vibrational bulk and surface losses of swift electrons in ionic nanostructures

In a recent paper [Lagos , Nature (London) 543, 533 (2017)NATUAS0028-083610.1038/nature21699] we have used electron energy loss spectroscopy with sub-10 meV energy and atomic spatial resolution to map optical and acoustic, bulk and surface vibrational modes in magnesium oxide nanocubes. We found that a local dielectric description works well for the simulation of aloof geometries, similar to related work for surface plasmons and surface plasmon …