Andreas Schroeder and UIC researchers publish on effects of the electron effective mass
Professor W. Andreas Schroeder, along with graduate students Ben Rickman, Joel Berger, and collaborator Alan Nicholls (UIC-RRC), has published a significant study in Physical Review Letters on the effect of electron effective mass on the divergence of electrons photoemitted from metal photocathodes. Entitled "Intrinsic Electron Beam Emittance from Metal Photocathodes: The Effect of the Electron Effective Mass," the study theoretically and empirically proves that an electron’s effective mass of a given metal from which the electron is extracted greatly impacts the divergence of the electrons photoemitted from metal photocathodes. This research could lead to performance improvement of scientific instruments employing pulsed electron guns. These more precise instruments could in turn, according to Professor Schroeder, allow for more precise study of crystals important in materials science, biological molecules at the atomic scale, and chemical catalysts, to name a few. For the article’s full text, pick up Physical Review Letters 12/2013, Volume 111, Issue 23.