  Emergent phenomena at complex-oxide interfaces have become a vibrant field of
study in the past two decades due to the rich physics and a wide range of
possibilities for creating new states of matter and novel functionalities for
potential devices. Electronic-structural characterization of such phenomena
presents a unique challenge due to the lack of direct yet non-destructive
techniques for probing buried layers and interfaces with the required
Angstrom-level resolution, as well as element and orbital specificity. In this
review article, we survey several recent studies wherein soft x-ray
standing-wave photoelectron spectroscopy, a relatively newly developed
technique, is used to investigate buried oxide interfaces exhibiting emergent
phenomena such as metal-insulator transition, interfacial ferromagnetism, and
two-dimensional electron gas. Advantages, challenges, and future applications
of this methodology are also discussed.
