Fingerprints of level depletion in the photoelectron spectra of small Na clusters in the ultraviolet domain

Abstract

In the framework of time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), we study electronic emission from small Na clusters after irradiation by an intense femtosecond laser pulse. Photoelectron spectra (PES) are compared with level depletion, i.e., the electron loss at each single-electron level. Laser frequencies in the UV range (from 9 to 19 eV) are explored. We find a clear correlation of the peak areas in the photoelectron spectra with the state depletion. This thus allows experimental access to the ionization mechanism. This correlation, moreover, demonstrates that one can find a physical interpretation of the Kohn–Sham orbitals in PES, as in real-time TDDFT.