Premium
Comments on Field Emission in Solids: Multiple Particle Tunneling and Singularities
Author(s) -
Ngai K. L.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.2220530133
Subject(s) - quantum tunnelling , physics , field electron emission , fermi gamma ray space telescope , fermi energy , electron , field (mathematics) , condensed matter physics , divergence (linguistics) , gravitational singularity , atomic physics , quantum mechanics , philosophy , linguistics , mathematics , pure mathematics
In recent field‐emission experiments a high energy tail in the field‐emitted electron distribution has been observed. It has been described as the products of a cascade process initiated by the injection of hot holes into the conduction band. Another process that can possibly contribute to the tail current is multiple particle tunneling. In the present development we consider the features of this tunneling process. We observe from the data that an infrared divergence‐like behavior occurs in the tail current at the Fermi energy. We argue that one reason for the occurrence of such a divergence is the singular transient response of the Fermi sea to the sudden establishment of a hole potential when an electron near the Fermi energy tunnels.