Dimensionality Effects in the Lifetime of Surface States

A long-standing discrepancy between experimental and theoretical values for the lifetimes of holes in the surface-state electron bands on noble metal surfaces is resolved; previous determinations of both are found to have been in error. The ability of the scanning tunneling microscope to verify surf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2000-05, Vol.288 (5470), p.1399-1402
Main Authors: Kliewer, J., Berndt, R., Chulkov, E. V., Silkin, V. M., Echenique, P. M., Crampin, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Atoms
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Electron tunneling
Electronic structure
Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures
Electrons
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental Concepts
Laboratory Equipment
Metals
Metals. Metallurgy
Noble metals
Physics
Quasiparticles
Scientific imaging
Spectral reconnaissance
Spectroscopy
Surface and interface electron states
Surface states, band structure, electron density of states
Wave functions
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Summary:A long-standing discrepancy between experimental and theoretical values for the lifetimes of holes in the surface-state electron bands on noble metal surfaces is resolved; previous determinations of both are found to have been in error. The ability of the scanning tunneling microscope to verify surface quality before taking spectroscopic measurements is used to remove the effects of defect scattering on experimental lifetimes, found to have been a significant contribution to prior determinations. A theoretical treatment of inelastic electron-electron scattering is developed that explicitly includes intraband transitions within the surface state band. In our model, two-dimensional decay channels dominate the electron-electron interactions that contribute to the hole decay and are screened by the electron states of the underlying three-dimensional electron system.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.288.5470.1399