Low-energy electron escape from liquid interfaces: charge and quantum effects

TL;DR

This study uses photoelectron imaging to explore how charge and quantum effects influence low-energy electron escape from liquid interfaces, revealing significant quantum reflections at energies below 1 eV and the impact of surface charge on electron transport.

Contribution

It demonstrates the sensitivity of electron escape to surface charge and quantum effects, providing new insights into liquid interface properties through photoelectron imaging.

Findings

Charges on droplets significantly alter photoelectron images

Quantum reflections occur at electron energies below 1 eV

Surface charge influences electron escape barriers

Abstract

The high surface sensitivity and controlled surface charge state of submicron sized droplets is exploited to study low-energy electron transport through liquid interfaces using photoelectron imaging. Already a few charges on a droplet are found to modify the photoelectron images significantly. For narrow escape barriers, the comparison with an electron scattering model reveals pronounced quantum effects in the form of above-barrier reflections at electron kinetic energies below about 1 eV. The observed susceptibility to the characteristics of the electron escape barrier might provide access to these properties for liquid interfaces, which are generally difficult to investigate.