Using refined preparation techniques, cadmium guest atoms have been
positioned at different sites on the surfaces of nickel crystals. The
magnetic hyperfine fields and the electric field gradients at the Cd nuclei
were measured by time-dependent perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC)
spectroscopy of the emitted gamma radiations. By measuring the combined
interactions, electric field gradients and magnetic hyperfine fields can be
unambiguously attributed to each surface site. The signs of the magnetic
hyperfine fields are determined by applying an external magnetic field and
choosing the appropriate γ-ray detector configuration. The measured
fields correlate with the number of neighbouring host atoms. Band structure
calculations confirm this finding and predict magnetic fields for various
sp elements from the band structure of the s-like conduction electrons. The
quadrupolar interactions are manifestations of the balance in the occupation
of the guest p-sublevels. These results provide new information on the
structure and formation of electronic configurations of sp elements in different local environments and will contribute to understanding electronic effects on surfaces.
