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Glite Dictionary
photoemission

photoemission

8.8
Electrons leave a material when light shines on it
  • noun
  • /ˌfoʊtoʊɪˈmɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fotoemisión
  • The study focused on photoemission effects, demonstrating how light can cause electron release from metallic materials.

Examples

  • As far as I know, only in the past year has a single instance of charge-spin separation been experimentally indicated, and that was on a very simplified example (angle-resolved photoemission spectra of SrCuO2).

    Academic text (1997)

  • Researchers measured the photoemission from the metal surface to analyze its electronic properties under light exposure.

  • The characteristics of this passivating oxide layer, which is about 30-60 in thickness as determined by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), are described below.

    Academic text (1998)

  • When exposed to ultraviolet light, the sample exhibited significant photoemission of electrons from its surface.

Synonyms

photoelectric emission
vsphotoemission
  • Specialized
7.4

When a material absorbs very strong light, it releases electrons

occurs with ordinary light exposure and is most common with metals

Surface Forms

photoemission singular
photoemissions plural

Morphology

photoemission = emission (semi-transparent) = photo + emit + ion

The word is built transparently from photo- plus emission, but the term is a specialized scientific expression that may not be fully inferable for an average learner.

Etymology

Photoemission comes from photo- meaning 'light', as in the word photograph, and emission meaning 'a sending out'. So photoemission is when light makes a material send out tiny particles called electrons from its surface, which is why scientists use the word for that effect.