Spin-Polarized Photoelectron Fluxes from Fullerene Anions

Abstract

Initial insights into spin-polarized photoelectron fluxes from fullerene anions are presented here. Both the angle-dependent and angle-integrated degrees of spin polarization of said photoelectron fluxes are discussed. Empty C60−(2p) and endohedral H@C60−(2p) and He@C60−(2p) anions, where the attached electron resides in a 2p state, are chosen as case studies. We uncover the characteristics of the phenomenon in the framework of a semi-empirical methodology where the C60 cage is modeled by a spherical annular potential, rather than aiming at a rigorous study. It is found that the spin-polarization degree of photoelectron fluxes from fullerene anions can reach large values, including a nearly complete polarization, at/in specific values/domains of the photoelectron momentum. This is shown to correlate with an inherent feature of photoionization of fullerenes, the abundance of resonances, known as confinement resonances, in their photodetachment spectra owing to a large empty space inside fullerenes. Moreover, the results obtained can serve as a touchstone for future studies of the phenomenon by more rigorous theories and/or experiments to reveal the significance of interactions omitted in the present study.