Quantum-classical model for the surface plasmon enhanced photoemission process at metal surfaces

Abstract

The main purpose of this work is to propose a theoretical description of the surface plasmon polariton stimulated electron emission process at metal surfaces in which the primary electron ejection from the conduction band is treated quantum mechanically in order to go beyond the approximate approaches used up to now to represent this first step. Our theoretical results are well supported by experimental energy spectra obtained for some tens of femtosecond laser pulses impinging on a gold grating target at various intensities in the GW/cm 2 range. The present model which allows us to discuss various features of the surface plasmon photoemission process such as the role of the surface plasmon phase is rather simple and could be applied with slight modifications to study the stimulated photoemission of metallic nanoparticles which has been a subject of growing interest during the past few years.

Enhanced photoemission from laser-excited plasmonic nano-objects in periodic arrays

“…Here / η = E E SP 0 , where E SP and E 0 are the amplitudes of the Surface Plasmon field and of the laser field, respectively. The choice of this value is consistent with the one obtained in [27] in the IR case. In the UV case we have taken η = 20 as it is known [58] that the enhancement factor is much less important in the UV case than in the IR case.…”

Photoemission-based microelectronic devices

“…This has been investigated for realizing cold cathode emitters to replace thermoionic emitters, since they do not require high power to thermally extract electrons from the surface, yet they require bias voltages above 100 V [8,9]. In a photoemission phenomenon, high photon numbers either tunnel electrons through the potential barrier, or transfer them over the barrier (multi-photon absorption) [10][11][12][13]. Unlike the photoelectric effect, the photon's energy in photoemission is less than the metal work function, and the key factor is the laser-matter interaction (either strong-field or perturbative), caused by the nanolocalized electromagnetic field in the vicinity of metallic structures (such as sharp metallic nanotaperes).…”

“…However, photons with an energy lower than the material's work function can also liberate electrons by either tunnelling electrons through the potential barrier, or transferring them over the barrier (multi-photon absorption). This process requires a high number of photons, and is called photoemission in some works, as we do in the rest of this work101213141516. Unlike Hertz's experiments, the photon energy in photoemission is less than the unperturbed metal work function, and the key factor is the laser–matter interaction (either strong-field or perturbative), caused by the nanolocalized electromagnetic field in the vicinity of metallic structures (such as sharp metallic nanotapers).…”

Crystallographic orientation and induced potential effects in photoelectron emission from metal surfaces by ultrashort laser pulses

“…In the last decade photoelectron emission (PE) from metal surfaces has received renewed attention as a result of the technological achievement of lasers with pulse durations of the order of attoseconds, which make it possible to study the behavior of electrons in condensed matter at their natural temporal orders [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Such a remarkable experimental progress needs to be accompanied by intensive theoretical research since the underlying quantum processes involve complex many-body mechanisms, whose complete understanding is still far from being achieved [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. This paper aims to contribute to the study of PE from metal surfaces due to the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with valence-band electrons.…”