Ultrafast thermionic emission from metal irradiated using a femtosecond laser and an electric field in combination

Journal Article · Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4914164· OSTI ID:22408235

Wang, Tingfeng; Guo, Jin; Shao, Junfeng; Wang, Dinan ^[1]; Chen, Anmin; Jin, Mingxing ^[2]

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1. State Key Laboratory of Laser Interaction with Matter, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033 (China)
2. Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China)

Ultrafast thermionic emission from gold film irradiated with a femtosecond laser pulse in the presence of an additional electric field is analyzed using a two-temperature equation combined with a modified Richardson equation. The calculated results show that the duration of the emission is below 1 ps. Supplying an additional electric field is found to change the emission from the metal surface. Given the same laser fluence, this additional field reduces the work function of the metal, and thus improves the efficiency of thermionic emission. These results help to understand the mechanism and suggest ways to improve emissions in the context of ultrafast thermalized electron systems.

• OSTI ID: 22408235
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRONS
GOLD
IRRADIATION
LASERS
PULSES
RICHARDSON EQUATION
SURFACES
THERMIONIC EMISSION
THIN FILMS
WORK FUNCTIONS