Premium
Cherenkov Effect in the Context of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Author(s) -
Smolyaninov I. I.,
Keller O.
Publication year - 1994
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.2221850124
Subject(s) - quantum tunnelling , cherenkov radiation , electron , physics , surface plasmon , scanning tunneling microscope , plasmon , condensed matter physics , exponential decay , scanning tunneling spectroscopy , excited state , atomic physics , context (archaeology) , optics , quantum mechanics , paleontology , detector , biology
The intensity of the light emission from the STM tunneling junction between two metals is shown to depend exponentially on the tunneling distance. Assuming the exponential decay constant to be equal to the mean wave vector of the surface plasmons excited by the tunneling electrons, the plasmon phase velocity is estimated to be two times smaller than the Fermi velocity of the electrons. A new theoretical description of the light emission phenomenon based on a Cherenkov‐like resonant interaction between the tunneling electrons and the surface plasmons is developed.