  We report the observation and systematic investigation of the space charge
effect and mirror charge effect in photoemission spectroscopy. When pulsed
light is incident on a sample, the photoemitted electrons experience energy
redistribution after escaping from the surface because of the Coulomb
interaction between them (space charge effect) and between photoemitted
electrons and the distribution of mirror charges in the sample (mirror charge
effect). These combined Coulomb interaction effects give rise to an energy
shift and a broadening which can be on the order of 10 meV for a typical
third-generation synchrotron light source. This value is comparable to many
fundamental physical parameters actively studied by photoemission spectroscopy
and should be taken seriously in interpreting photoemission data and in
designing next generation experiments.
