Schottky effect on the red border for the photo-detachment from charged metallic nanoparticles

1. Тhe Schottky effect is predicted to decrease the energy of photons required for electron photo-detachment from metal particles negatively charged in plasma [1]. It is shown that the critical wavelength of the laser at which the photodetachment starts (the red border of the photoelectric effect) depends not only on the work function, but also on the charge of nanoparticles and their size. Our theory predicts that the smaller the size of the nanoparticles, the stronger the shift of the red border of the photo-detachment. This result is important for measurements of the charge and size of dust or nano-particles using a Laser Stimulated Photodetachment (LSPD) technique. Such measurements can provide valuable information required for modeling of plasmas for synthesis of nanomaterials and material processing applications. The particle charge can be determined from the measurement of saturation of the electron density changes due to the photo-detachment using, for example, microwave interferometry. The presented theory can also guide the selection of the LSPD laser wavelength and analysis of measured results.