Photodetachment Dynamics of Negative Ions in Electric and Magnetic Fields
Summary
Photodetachment of negative ions involves the liberation of an extra electron by photon absorption, a process profoundly influenced by external electric and magnetic fields. In an electric field, the freed electron experiences acceleration and trajectory distortion, leading to characteristic oscillations in the detachment cross section and rich wave‐packet dynamics. A magnetic field imposes the Lorentz force, curving electron paths into cyclotron orbits and giving rise to intricate interference patterns determined by classical closed orbit trajectories. Combined fields produce even more complex behaviour, with perpendicular or parallel configurations yielding distinct self‐similarity structures and energy‐dependent escape phenomena. Advances in semiclassical closed‐orbit theory and time‐dependent quantum methods have enabled precise calculations of photodetachment spectra, cross sections and autocorrelation functions. These insights underpin developments in photoelectron spectroscopy, surface and microcavity photodetachment microscopy, and the control of electron dynamics in plasma and astrophysical environments.
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Photodetachment Dynamics of Negative Ions in Electric and Magnetic Fields publication trend
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Technical terms
Negative ion: An atom or molecule bearing an extra electron, making it negatively charged.
Photodetachment cross section: A measure of the probability that photon absorption will detach an electron from a negative ion.
Closed‐orbit theory: A semiclassical framework describing how detached electrons return to the vicinity of the ion under external fields, producing interference oscillations.
Wave packet revival: The phenomenon by which a dispersed electron wave packet periodically re‐forms due to quantum interference among its components.
Autocorrelation function: A time‐dependent measure of the overlap between an evolving wave packet and its initial state, used to characterise revival structures.
References
- Photodetached electron flux of H- in magnetic field near a metal surface. Acta Physica Sinica (2013).
- Photo-detachment of hydrogen negative ion in a magnetic field near a dielectric surface. Acta Physica Sinica (2012).
- Study on the photodetachment wave packet dynamics of H- ion in a gradient electric field. Acta Physica Sinica (2015).
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