Photon emission from low-energy ion and neutral bombardment of solids

Abstract Low energy heavy particle bombardment of solid surfaces is observed to be accompanied by the emission of infrared, visible and ultraviolet radiation. Line radiation arising from transitions between discrete atomic or molecular levels may be attributed to the decay of sputtered or backscattered excited particles which have escaped the surface. Broadband continuum radiation which is also observed in low-energy heavy particle collisions with surfaces arises from the surface and appears to be a strictly solid state phenomenon. Measurement of collision induced optical radiation constitutes a powerful tool for studies of the fundamental outershelf electronic processes which result from the interaction of low-energy atomic particles with solids.