Abstract

We have measured the evolution of the electron energy distribution excited in a 300 Å Au film by a 180 fsec optical pulse. The distribution is measured directly by UV photoemission with a time-resolution of 270 fsec and an electron energy resolution of ~0.04eV. We are able to observe: a) evidence of the nascent (as photoexcited) electron distribution, b) the time-evolution from the nascent to a Fermi-Dirac distribution, and c) that thermalization is more rapid for higher excitation levels.

© 1992 The Author(s)