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Probing Hot-Electron Dynamics at Surfaces with a Cold Scanning Tunneling Microscope

L. Bürgi, O. Jeandupeux, H. Brune, and K. Kern
Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4516 – Published 31 May 1999
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Abstract

We report on a novel approach to measure the phase relaxation length and femtosecond lifetime of hot quasiparticles on metal surfaces. A 4 K scanning tunneling microscope has been used to study the spatial decay of interference patterns in the local density of states for surface state electrons on Ag(111) and Cu(111). This decay is governed by inelastic electron-electron scattering. We find a (EEF)2 energy dependence of the lifetimes for both Ag and Cu, and our values are comparable to the corresponding bulk electron lifetimes. This indicates that electron-electron interaction of hot surface state electrons with the Fermi sea is dominated by the underlying bulk electrons.

  • Received 11 January 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.4516

©1999 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

L. Bürgi1, O. Jeandupeux1, H. Brune1, and K. Kern1,2

  • 1Institut de Physique Expérimentale, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
  • 2Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Heisenbergstrasse 1, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany

See Also

Reading the Ripples of Electrons

Phys. Rev. Focus 3, 30 (1999)

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Issue

Vol. 82, Iss. 22 — 31 May 1999

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