Enhanced cutoff energies for direct and rescattered strong-field photoelectron emission of plasmonic nanoparticles
[1];
[4];
[1]
- J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics , Kansas State University , Manhattan , 66506 , Kansas , USA
- J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics , Kansas State University , Manhattan , 66506 , Kansas , USA, INRS, Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunication , Varennes, J3X 1P7 , Québec , Canada, Department of Physics , University of Connecticut , Storrs , 06269 , CT , USA
- J. R. Macdonald Laboratory, Department of Physics , Kansas State University , Manhattan , 66506 , Kansas , USA, Department of Physics , University of Connecticut , Storrs , 06269 , CT , USA, SLAC, National Accelerator Laboratory , Menlo Park , 94025 , CA , USA
- Department of Physics , University of Connecticut , Storrs , 06269 , CT , USA
- SLAC, National Accelerator Laboratory , Menlo Park , 94025 , CA , USA, Department of Applied Physics , Stanford University , Stanford , 94305 , CA , USA
Abstract The efficient generation, accurate detection, and detailed physical tracking of energetic electrons are of applied interest for high harmonics generation, electron-impact spectroscopy, and femtosecond time-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy. We here investigate the generation of photoelectrons (PEs) by exposing plasmonic nanostructures to intense laser pulses in the infrared (IR) spectral regime and analyze the sensitivity of PE spectra to competing elementary interactions for direct and rescattered photoemission pathways. Specifically, we measured and numerically simulated emitted PE momentum distributions from prototypical spherical gold nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters between 5 and 70 nm generated by short laser pulses with peak intensities of 8.0 × 10 12 and 1.2 × 10 13 W/cm 2 , demonstrating the shaping of PE spectra by the Coulomb repulsion between PEs, accumulating residual charges on the NP, and induced plasmonic electric fields. Compared to well-understood rescattering PE cutoff energies for strong-field photoemission from gaseous atomic targets (10× the ponderomotive energy), our measured and simulated PE spectra reveal a dramatic cutoff-energy increase of two orders of magnitude with a significantly higher contribution from direct photoemission. Our findings indicate that direct PEs reach up to 93 % of the rescattered electron cutoff energy, in contrast to 20 % for gaseous atoms, suggesting a novel scheme for the development of compact tunable tabletop electron sources.
- Research Organization:
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- National Science Foundation (NSF); US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division (CSGB); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515; FG02-86ER13491
- OSTI ID:
- 1969424
- Journal Information:
- Nanophotonics (Online), Journal Name: Nanophotonics (Online) Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 12; ISSN 2192-8614
- Publisher:
- Walter de Gruyter GmbHCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English
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