Dynamics of Photon-Stimulated Desorption of Excited-State Alkali Atoms from Alkali Halides

Abstract

The time response of photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) ofexcited-state alkali atoms from alkali halides has been investigatedwith synchrotron radiation pulses. It was found that the substancehaving a larger Rabin-Klick parameter shows a larger efficiency of thefast desorption. It was also found that there is a delay for the fastPSD, indicating the existence of the precursor state. It is proposedthat the fast desorption may be produced by electronic transition inthe surface layer, while the slow desorption may be due to the thermalinstability of surface defects.