R. Knorren et Kh. Bennemann, Calculation of the short-time dynamics of the hot-electron distribution innoble and transition metals, APP PHYS B, 68(3), 1999, pp. 401-404
The short-time dynamics of the hot-electron distribution in noble and trans
ition metals after optical excitation is calculated in a Boltzmann-equation
formalism. We investigate the optical excitation process as well as the su
bsequent relaxation due to electron-electron collisions. In the optical exc
itation process, we study the influence of band structure and photon energy
on the observed dynamics. For the dynamics due to electron-electron collis
ions, we calculate the time evolution of the energy- and spin-resolved dist
ribution of excited electrons and holes using transition rates determined f
rom realistic band structures. We find important contributions of secondary
electrons to the observed decay time of the distribution. Our results for
Cu are compared with recent experiments using the two-photon photoemission
technique.