2019/11/01 by Ovidiu Costin, Rodica D. Costin, Costin, Ovidiu +5
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Molecular Physics #FOS: Physical sciences #Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications #Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications #Mathematical Physics (math-ph) #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1911.00201
openalex publication_date 2019/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We solve rigorously the time dependent Schrödinger equation describing electron emission from a metal surface by a laser field perpendicular to the surface. We consider the system to be one-dimensional, with the half-line x<0 corresponding to the bulk of the metal and x>0 to the vacuum. The laser field is modeled as a classical electric field oscillating with frequency ω, acting only at x>0. We consider an initial condition which is a stationary state of the system without a field, and, at time t=0, the field is switched on. We prove the existence of a solution ψ(x,t) of the Schrödinger equation for t>0, and compute the surface current. The current exhibits a complex oscillatory behavior, which is not captured by the "simple" three step scenario. As t→∞, ψ(x,t) converges with a rate t-\frac32 to a time periodic function with period \frac2πω which coincides with that found by Faisal, Kamiński and Saczuk (Phys Rev A 72, 023412, 2015). However, for realistic values of the parameters, we have found that it can take quite a long time (over 50 laser periods) for the system to converge to its asymptote. Of particular physical importance is the current averaged over a laser period \frac2πω, which exhibits a dramatic increase when ℏω becomes larger than the work function of the metal, which is consistent with the original photoelectric effect.