Electron emission from a metal nano-tip by ultrashort laser pulses

TL;DR

This paper models how ultrashort laser pulses induce electron emission from metal nano-tips, highlighting the role of field enhancement and computational methods in understanding the spectra.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical approach using TDDFT to simulate electron emission from nano-tips under ultrashort laser pulses, analyzing the effects of different potentials.

Findings

Electron spectra depend on exchange-correlation potential choice.

Field enhancement significantly influences electron emission.

Simulations reveal detailed spectral features.

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the interaction of near-infrared few cycle laser pulses of moderate intensity with nano-scale metal tips. Macroscopic field enhancement leads to coherent electron emission from the tip apex. Electron spectra are simulated with time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). We investigate the dependence of the simulated electron spectra on the choice of exchange-correlation potential and atomic core pseudo-potential.