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Memory effect on the inelastic interaction of electrons moving parallel to a solid surface
Author(s) -
Kwei C. M.,
Hsu Y. H.,
Tu Y. H.,
Tung C. J.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/sia.2208
Subject(s) - inelastic mean free path , electron , inelastic scattering , inelastic collision , inverse , dielectric , atomic physics , physics , chemistry , condensed matter physics , quantum mechanics , mean free path , mathematics , scattering , geometry
Abstract It is generally assumed that two successive inelastic interactions between an electron and a solid are independent of each other. In other words, the electron has no memory of its previous interaction. However, the previous interaction of the electron generates a potential that should influence its succeeding inelastic interaction. The aim of this work is to establish a model to account for the memory effect of an electron between two successive inelastic interactions. On the basis of the dielectric response theory, formulae for differential inverse inelastic mean free paths (DIIMFPs) and inelastic mean free paths (IMFPs) considering the memory effect were derived for electrons moving parallel to a solid surface by solving the Poisson equation and applying suitable boundary conditions. These mean free paths were then calculated with the extended Drude dielectric function for a Cu surface. It was found that the DIIMFP and the IMFP with the memory effect for electron energy E lay between the corresponding values without the memory effect for electron energy E and previous energy E 0 . The memory effect increased with increasing electron energy loss, E 0 − E , in the previous inelastic interaction. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.