Abstract
Time-resolved ellipsometric measurements were made upon Au, Cu, Ag, Ni, Pd, Ti, Zr, and Hf thin films. Using an elliptically polarized pump beam, the decay of the optically induced polarization of the sample was observed. Characteristic relaxation times are extracted and interpreted in terms of scattering of linear and angular momentum of hot electrons. A systematic variation is observed between different metals that reflects their underlying band structure.
- Received 28 February 2005
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.71.233104
©2005 American Physical Society