Interrelation between the distributions of kinetic energy release and emitted electron energy following a decay of electronic states

TL;DR

This paper derives quantum expressions for kinetic energy release and emitted electron spectra in electronic decay, revealing their complementary quantum information and limitations of the classical mirror image approximation.

Contribution

It introduces quantum formulas for decay spectra and analyzes their relation to nuclear dynamics, highlighting when classical assumptions fail.

Findings

Spectra carry distinct quantum information.

Classical mirror image approximation can break down.

Examples demonstrate the quantum nature of decay spectra.

Abstract

In an electronic decay process followed by fragmentation the kinetic energy release and electron spectra can be measured. Classically they are the mirror image of each other, a fact which is often used in practice. Quantum expressions are derived for both spectra and analyzed. It is demonstrated that these spectra carry complementary quantum information and are related to the nuclear dynamics in different participating electronic states. Illustrative examples show that the classical picture of mirror image can break down and shed light on the underlying physics.