Energy Distribution of Photoelectrons Emitted by Solutions: Theoretical Analysis

摘要

A general equation is derived for energy distribution curves (EDC) of photoelectrons emitted in vacuum by solutions of an emitter dissolved in a liquid. The following features are assumed: quasi-free electrons, upon generation by photoionization, are distributed according to their kinetic energy; scattering of quasi-free electrons in the liquid entails a loss of kinetic energy; the threshold function for the liquid-vacuum interfacial barrier is not considered. Some properties of EDC's are deduced, and explicit forms of the EDC equation are examined for a Gaussian distribution of quasi-free electrons upon generation and for two specific energy loss laws: constant loss in time, and loss inversely proportional to the speed of quasi-free electrons. Analysis based on superposition of shifted and normalized experimental EDC's is also examined. (Author)