Electronic excitation processes in rare gas clusters studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy

We present the electron energy loss spectra for Ar clusters as a function of incident electron energy and of cluster size. In spectra measured with 100 eV incident electron energy the bulk excitation peak becomes visible for a mean cluster size above 170 atoms per cluster. For 250 eV incident electron energy the bulk excitation peak is clearly observable even for a mean cluster size of 120 atoms per cluster. These experimental results are qualitatively reproduced by a simple calculation that accounts for the mean free path of electrons in Ar clusters; i.e., the penetration depth of incident electrons into the cluster.     

Near-threshold electron impact excitation of ultraviolet-emitting levels of helium atoms

The excitation by electron impact of levels of helium atoms that decay by emission of ultraviolet light has been studied as a function of incident energy up to approximately the first ionization energy. The width (FWHM) of the energy spread of the incident beam was less than 30 meV. A crossed-beam interaction region was used and UV photons emitted approximately normally to the electron and gas beam directions were detected by a channel electron multiplier. Precautions were taken to avoid detection of scattered electrons and metastable atoms by the photon detector. The onset position of the lowest excited level was used in calibrating the incident energy scale. The energies of resonance structures in the cross-sections could therefore be obtained and are compared with the results of experiments detecting other products of the interaction.     

Rescattering for extended atomic systems

Laser-driven rescattering of electrons is the basis of many strong-field phenomena in atoms and molecules. Here, we will show how this mechanism operates in extended atomic systems, giving rise to effective energy absorption. Rescattering from extended systems can also lead to energy loss, which in its extreme form results in nonlinear light-induced trapping. Intense-laser interaction with atomic clusters is discussed as an example. We explain fast electron emission, seen in experimental and numerically obtained spectra, by rescattering of electrons at the highly charged cluster.     

高功率微波沿面闪络击穿机制粒子模拟

针对高功率微波介质沿面闪络击穿物理过程,首先建立了理论模型,包括:动力学方程、粒子模拟算法、二次电子发射, 以及电子与气体分子蒙特卡罗碰撞模型、电子碰撞介质表面退吸附气体分子机制;其次,基于理论模型,编制了1D3V PIC-MCC程序,分别针对真空二次电子倍增、高气压体电离击穿和低气压面电离击穿过程,运用该程序仔细研究了电子和离子随时间演化关系、电子运动轨迹、电子及离子密度分布、空间电荷场时空分布、电子平均能量、碰撞电子平均能量、碰撞电子数目随时间演化关系、电子能量分布函数、平均二次电子发射率以及能量转换关系。研究结果表明:真空二次电子倍增引发的介质表面沉积功率只能达到入射微波功率1%左右的水平,不足以击穿;气体碰撞电离主导的高气压体电离击穿,是由低能电子（eV量级）数目指数增长到一定程度导致的,形成位置远离介质表面,形成时间为s量级;低气压下的介质沿面闪络击穿,是在二次电子倍增和气体碰撞电离共同作用下,由于数目持续增长的高能电子（keV量级）碰撞介质沿面导致沉积功率激增而引发的,形成位置贴近介质沿面,形成时间在ns量级。     

Electron emission induced by keV protons from tungsten surface at different temperatures

The electron emission yield is measured from the tungsten surface bombarded by the protons in an energy range of 50 keV-250 keV at different temperatures. In our experimental results, the total electron emission yield, which contains mainly the kinetic electron emission yield, has a very similar change trend to the electronic stopping power. At the same time, it is found that the ratio of total electron emission yield to electronic stopping power becomes smaller as the incident ion energy increases. The experimental result is explained by the ionization competition mechanism between electrons in different shells of the target atom. The explanation is verified by the opposite trends to the incident energy between the ionization cross section of M and outer shells.     

Radiation loss of electrons under scattering by a Thomas-Fermi atom

A universal theory and calculation results for the bremsstrahlung of electrons on complex atoms are presented. The theory accounts for the dynamic polarization of the core in the energy range from 0.5 to 10 keV, which is characteristic of radiation energy losses in a hot plasma with heavy ions. The treatment is based on the statistical atom model and the quasi-classical approximation of the incident electron. The model accounts for the penetration of the incident electron into the atomic core, which affects the relationship between the polarization and static radiation channels. The contribution of the polarization channel in both the spectral and the total radiation loss of electrons at various frequencies, nucleus charges, and energies of the incident particle is analyzed. It is shown that the contribution of the polarization channel is comparable with that of the static channel (which was calculated elsewhere) in a wide range of parameters. The results obtained are in a reasonable quantitative agreement with the detailed quantum-mechanical calculation carried out for individual atoms.     

近程碰撞对He+离子诱发背向电子发射贡献比例的计算

用Monte Carlo方法模拟了高速He+离子入射到C，Cu和Al固体表面所诱发的电子发射.用这个程序计算了背向的电子发射产额，并且同时计算了近程碰撞对总的背向电子发射产额的贡献比例，对C，Cu和Al其值分别是05，055和0.42.对在近程碰撞中产生的高能δ电子（E＞10O eV）对背向电子发射行为的影响也进行了详尽地讨论，只有那些能量为几百个eV的δ电子对产额的贡献比例较大.对于C靶，δ电子对电子阻止本领最大值附近的二次电子发射行为会产生影响.计算所得到的电子发射产额与实验结果符合得很好. 关键词： 二次电子发射 Monte Carlo模拟 近程碰撞 δ电子     

First-principles study of Ga7As7 ionic cluster and influence of multi-charge on its structure

This paper investigates the structures and stabilities of neutral Ga7As7 cluster and its ions in detail by using first-principles density functional theory. Many low energy structures of Ga7As7 cluster are found. It confirms that the ground state structure of neutral Ga7As7 cluster is a pentagonal prism with four face atoms like a basket structure, as reported by previous works. The ground state structures of positive Ga7As7 cluster ions are different from that of the neutral cluster. These investigations suggest that Ga atoms occupy the capping positions more easily than As atoms. Mulliken population analyses also show that Ga atoms can lose or obtain charge more easily than As atoms. It finds that the neutral Ga7As7 cluster can become more stable by gaining one or two additional electrons but further more electrons would cause the decrease of binding energy. The ionisation energy increases with the increase of the number of the removed electrons. These calculated results indicate that the net magnetic moment of the neutral Ga7As7 cluster is zero because all electrons are paired together in their respective molecular orbits. But for the ionic Ga7As7 cluster with odd number of electrons, the net magnetic moment is 1.0 μB due to an unpaired electron.     

Surface heating of deuterium clusters by the field of a superintense ultrashort laser pulse for implementing the nuclear reaction d+d → 3He+n

A new mechanism for heating the electron component of plasmas formed upon the application of a superintense ultrashort laser pulse to atomic clusters is proposed. Clusters considered here consist of deuterium atoms. Upon the emission of a large number of electrons, an irradiated cluster, which acquires a positive charge, explodes (Coulomb explosion). Deuterons that are ejected as the result of this possess high kinetic energies, so that collisions between them can result in ³He formation accompanied by neutron emission. The new mechanism of the heating of the electron plasma from clusters is based on the conjecture that, when an ionization electron is reflected from the inner surface of the cluster ion in the presence of a laser field, it predominantly absorbs (rather than emits) laser photons.     

大气压氩气/空气针-环式介质阻挡放电发射光谱诊断

为了更加深入地了解氩气/空气等离子体射流内的电子输运过程及化学反应过程,通过针-环式介质阻挡等离子体发生器在放电频率10 kHz,一个大气压条件下对氩气/空气混合气进行电离并产生了稳定的等离子体射流。通过发射光谱法对不同峰值电压下氩气/空气等离子体射流的活性粒子种类、电子激发温度及振动温度进行了诊断。结果表明,射流中的主要活性粒子为N₂的第二正带系、Ar Ⅰ原子以及少量的氧原子,其中N₂的第二正带系的相对光谱强度最强、最清晰,在本试验的发射光谱中没有发现N+₂的第一负带系谱线,这说明在氩气/空气等离子体射流中几乎没有电子能量高于18.76 eV的自由电子。利用Ar Ⅰ原子激发能差较大的5条谱线做最小二乘线性拟合对等离子体射流的电子激发温度进行了计算,得到大气压氩气/空气等离子体射流的电子激发温度在7 000~11 000 K之间。随峰值电压的增大,电子激发温度表现出先增大后减小的变化趋势,这说明电子激发温度并不总是随峰值电压的增长单调变化的。通过N₂的第二正带系对等离子体振动温度进行了诊断,发现大气压氩气/空气等离子体射流振动温度在3 000~4 500 K之间,其随峰值电压的增大而减小,这意味着虽然峰值电压的提高可有效提高自由电子的动能,但当电子动能较大时自由电子与氮分子之间的相互作用时间将会缩短,进而二者之间的碰撞能量转移截面将会减小,从而导致等离子体振动温度的降低。     

Secondary electron spectra of gold under bombardment by very low-energy positrons

Measurements of the secondary electron energy spectra resulting from very low-energy positron bombardment of a polycrystalline Au surface are presented. The low-energy part of the secondary spectra contain significant contributions from two processes: (1) annihilation-induced Auger electrons that have lost energy before leaving the surface and (2) secondary electrons resulting from direct energy exchange with an incident positron. Our data indicate that the second process (direct energy exchange with the primary positron) is still important at and below 3 eV incident beam energy. Since energy conservation precludes secondary electron generation below an incident beam energy equal to the difference between the electron and positron work functions (∼3 eV), the fact that we still observe significant secondary electron emission at energies at or below this value provides strong evidence that the incident positrons are falling directly into the surface state and transferring all of the energy difference to an outgoing secondary electron. These measurements were also used to obtain the first experimentally determined upper limit on the intensity of the spectrum of Auger-induced secondary electrons.     

高速H2+离子轰击C靶诱发二次电子的发射行为与入射角的关系

运用Monte-Carlo方法结合半经验理论研究了高速H2+离子轰击C靶诱发二次电子的发射行为与入射角的关系。分别研究了电子发射产额与入射角以及发射统计性与入射角的关系。结果表明，由于H2+上的价电子的影响使得背向电子发射产额不遵守余弦倒数关系。斜入射时候的前向与背向电子产额的比值跟正入射时的情况不同。电子的发射统计跟入射角没有关系。标志偏离Poission分布的值 b，随入射能量的增加而增大。     

放疗污染电子对皮肤细胞损伤的蒙特卡罗模拟研究

采用Geant4-DNA低能物理模型研究了污染电子在细胞DNA水平上的物理作用和能量沉积。利用密度聚类算法分析了损伤产额分布;并结合皮肤细胞辐射敏感性参数和临床表征剂量,探讨了低能电子对皮肤细胞的损伤特征。模拟发现,产生的DSB中约20%是cDSB;DSB产额是SSB的约4%;损伤聚类包含的SSB一般3个,20 keV和100 keV电子也可造成5个SSB的聚类损伤;晚反应、高α值的组织更应注意防护低能电子辐射;由于LQ模型中剂量平方项的影响,cDSB损伤致死系数ε随入射电子数目的增加而增大。当105个电子入射时,ε的数值可较单个电子增大3%～15%。可通过调节直接电离损伤概率弥补间接损伤产额,研究细胞辐照损伤的内在机理。本工作建立的低能电子对细胞DNA的损伤模型及结果,可用于评价放疗中低能污染电子对皮肤细胞的损伤效应。     

强流电子束入射弯曲宏观石英管的导向效应研究

研究了强流（~129 nA）、 高能（1 500～1 900 eV）电子束在大角度(9°)弯曲宏观石英管中的导向效应。 实验分别测量了入射流强及能量对出射电子角分布值（FWHM）和传输效率的影响。 实验观察到出射电子角分布FWHM随着入射电子流强和入射电子能量增加变化均不明显; 发现电子传输效率随入射流强增加而增加, 但随入射能量增加而减小, 这与高电荷态离子导向中离子传输效率随入射能量增加而增加的现象相反。 分析发现, 与高电荷态离子导向机制不同, 电子束导向并非是由电子在石英管内壁的自组织充电过程引起的, 而是入射电子与管内壁弹性和非弹性散射碰撞共同作用的结果。 By using an incident electron beam with the high current and high energy, the guiding effect of the bended macroscopic quartz tube for the electron beam has been investigated. The angular distributions of outgoing electrons depending on the current and energy of incident electrons were measured. The dependences of electron transmitted fraction on energy and current of incident electrons are also shown. As the incident electron energy increasing, the electron transmitted fraction increases, but it decreases while the incident electron current increasing. The results have been compared with the present data. This work presents, the process of guiding electrons is essentially different from that of guiding highly charged ions, the guiding electron beam was caused by both elastic and inelastic collisions between electrons and inner walls of quartz tube, rather than self organized charging effect on the surface of inner wall of quartz tube.     

质子轰击钨靶表面时的电子发射产额与靶温度的相关性研究

在中国科学院近代物理研究所兰州重离子加速器国家实验室测量了能量为50~250 keV 的质子入射不同温度下钨靶表面的电子发射产额。实验结果发现,不同能量的质子引起的电子发射产额均随着靶温度的升高而降低;利用功函数对温度的依赖性定性地解释了该结果。在不同靶温度下,总电子发射产额与电子能损的比值随着质子能量的增加而逐渐变小;利用靶原子不同壳层中电子之间的电离竞争机制来解释实验结果。     

Monte Carlo simulation of ion-induced kinetic electron emission statistics from solids

Abstract

Electron emission statistics (ES) of proton-induced electron emission from Au at keV energy are investigated by applying a Monte Carlo model to describe the transport of electrons. Apparent deviations of ES from Poisson distributions are found in the same manner as experimental ES: larger probabilities for no electron emission and for emission of 2 or more electrons. At low energy, electron cascades produce an important deviation from the Poisson distribution, in addition with deviations due to the backscattering of incident ions.     

Observation of multiple scattering in (e, 2e) experiments on small argon clusters

A kinematically complete experiment for 100 eV electron-impact ionization of small argon clusters was realized. The triple coincidence detection of both outgoing electrons and the residual ion allows the discrimination between single ionization of atoms, dimers and non-mass-selected small clusters as well as between ionization and excitation within the same cluster. Comparison of fully and partly differential ionization cross sections for clusters with those of atoms reveal clear signatures of multiple-scattering reactions. For ionization with excitation, an almost isotropic electron emission pattern is observed.     

Mechanisms of charging of insulators under irradiation with medium-energy electron beams

The electron emission and charge characteristics of a large number of massive insulators are investigated qualitatively and quantitatively. It is demonstrated that irradiation of insulators with a medium-energy continuous electron beam leads to a decrease in the equilibrium energy of incident electrons (the second critical energy) as compared to the theoretical value. The equilibrium state of charging to saturation is attained for times from several seconds to several hundred seconds depending on the irradiation current density, the electron energy, and the insulator material. The mechanisms of charging are explained in the framework of the model according to which irradiation is accompanied by the formation of a charged double layer that consists of a positively charged layer (with the thickness equal to the escape depth of secondary electrons) and a negatively charged layer (with the thickness equal to the penetration depth of primary electrons).     

Electron stimulated desorption of O2 from gadolinia-doped ceria surfaces

The interactions of gas phase oxygen with gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) surfaces are investigated by electron stimulated desorption (ESD). The primary desorbed cationic species related to molecular oxygen adsorption is O₂⁺. The threshold energy for ESD of O₂⁺ is 13–14 eV, indicating electron impact ionization of molecular oxygen bound at oxygen vacancies. Dependence of O₂⁺ velocities upon incident electron energy and substrate temperature reveals the dominant influence of the effective charge of the adsorption complex. The O₂⁺ velocity distribution is bimodal, and the onset of the faster components at room temperature is related to the balance between fluxes of incident electrons and secondary electron emission, causing effective hole production and neutralization of trapped electrons at surface states.     

Electron emission from laser-irradiated atomic clusters

The mechanism of fast-electron emission from laser-irradiated clusters is studied by model calculations. Rescattering of electrons at the charged cluster is shown to be an important process. In contrast to rescattering at atoms, the structure, that is the size and strength, of the scattering potential determines final kinetic energies of the electrons. This becomes evident in a strong cluster-size dependence of the electron spectra.