Photodetachment of H− Near a Dielectric Surface

Abstract

Using the closed orbit theory, the photodetachment cross section of H− near a dielectric surface has been derived and calculated. The results show that the dielectric surface has great influence on the photodetachment process of negative ion near the ionization threshold. Above the ionization threshold, the photodetachment cross section starts to oscillate. With the increase of the energy, the oscillating amplitude decreases and the oscillating frequency increases. The oscillation in the photodetachment cross section of H− in the presence of a dielectric surface is either larger or smaller than the photodetachment of H− without the surface. As the photon energy is larger than the critical value Epc, the oscillatory structure disappeared and the cross section approaches to the case of the photodetachment of H− without any external fields. For a given detached-electron energy, the photodetachment cross section becomes decreased with the increase of the ion-surface distance. Besides, the dielectric constant has great influence on the photodetachment of H−. With the increase of the dielectric constant, the oscillation in the cross section becomes increased. As the dielectric constant increases to infinity, the cross section is the same as the photodetachment of H− near a metal surface. This study provides a new understanding on the photodetachment process of H− in the presence of a dielectric surface.