# Effect of quantized conductivity on the anomalous photon emission radiated from atomic-size point contacts

## TL;DR

This study investigates how quantized conductance in atomic-size point contacts influences anomalous photon emission, revealing a strong dependence on conductance steps and an unexpected exponential decay with electrical power.

## Contribution

It introduces an analytical model linking quantized conductance to photon emission via bremsstrahlung from hot electrons, aligning well with experimental observations.

## Key findings

- Photon emission depends on conductance quantization.
- Light intensity decreases exponentially with electrical power.
- Model explains emission through hot electron bremsstrahlung.

## Abstract

We observe anomalous visible to near-infrared electromagnetic radiation emitted from electrically driven atomic-size point contacts. We show that the number of photons released strongly depends on the quantized conductance steps of the contact. Counter-intuitively, the light intensity features an exponential decay dependence with the injected electrical power. We propose an analytical model for the light emission considering an out-of-equilibrium electron distribution. We treat photon emission as bremsstrahlung process resulting from hot electrons colliding with the metal boundary and a find qualitative accord with the experimental data.