Theoretical description of fast kinetic electron emission in ion-surface collisions

Abstract

We present a microscopic description of the emission of fast electrons in glancing-angle ion-surface collisions. We employ a classical trajectory Monte Carlo approach that treats the primary production of kinetic electrons in close collisions and their subsequent transport through the surface region on the same footing. Dynamic image interactions and multiple scattering are explicitly included. As an application, we analyze the ejected electron spectra over a broad range of electron energies and emission angles for 0.2--0.5-MeV/u Li ions interacting with SnTe(001) surfaces. Good agreement is found with experiment for the shape of the spectrum of forward-ejected electrons containing prominent structures such as the convoy electron peak and the binary ridge.