Auger electron spectroscopy

Auger electron spectroscopy is a way that scientists can look at very very very small things – things so small that you can't even see them with your eyes! They use a special machine called an Auger Spectrometer to do this.

This machine sends little particles called electrons onto the surface of the thing they want to look at. When the electrons hit the surface, they make some new electrons jump out. These jumping electrons are called "Auger Electrons".

The scientists then measure how many Auger Electrons jump out and how much energy they have. This tells them what kind of elements are on the surface of the thing they're looking at.

It's like if you're trying to figure out what kind of toy is in a box without opening it. You can shake the box and listen to how much noise it makes. If it's a toy that has lot of little bits in it, it will make a different noise than a toy that doesn't.

That's kind of like how scientists use Auger Electron Spectroscopy to figure out what's on the surface of tiny things they can't see with their eyes!