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W.S.M. Werner:
"Simple algorithm for quantitative analysis of reflection electronenergy loss spectra (REELS)";
Surface Science, 604 (2010), 290 - 299.

A detailed comparison of two different physical approaches for quantitative analysis of reflection electron
energy loss spectra (REELS) is presented. The Tougaard-Chorkendorff (TC) algorithm [S. Tougaard, I. Chorkendorff,
Phys. Rev. B35 (1987) 6570] is analyzed theoretically and applied to experimental spectra of
four elemental solids (Si, Cu, Ag, and Au). A closed expression is derived for the quantity retrieved by
the TC-algorithm, the so-called ``effective" cross section, which was originally only given as a recursive
procedure. Single scattering loss distributions are derived from the experimental spectra using the bivariate
reversal method [W.S.M. Werner, Phys. Rev. B74 (2006) 075421]. The latter agree satisfactorily with
density functional theory (DFT) calculations and other data found in the literature. Using these single
scattering loss distributions, the TC ``effective" cross section can be perfectly reproduced if the fact is
taken into account that the effective cross section is not a single scattering loss distribution and is governed
to a significant extent by elastic scattering. On the basis of the above results, a dramatically simplified
deconvolution scheme for quantitative analysis of REELS is developed.