Wave lake on metal surfaces

Physicists at the University of New Hampshire have proved the existence of a new type of electron wave on metal surfaces, known as the acoustic surface plasmon.

The new electron could be used in the development of nano-optics, high-temperature superconductors as well as the understanding of chemical reactions on surfaces.

‘The existence of this wave means that the electrons on the surfaces of copper, iron, beryllium and other metals behave like water on a lake’s surface,’ said Bogdan Diaconescu, a postdoctoral research associate in the UNH’s physics department and one of the project leaders.

‘When a stone is thrown into a lake, waves spread radially in all directions. A similar wave can be created by the electrons on a metal surface when they are disturbed, for instance, by light.’

Acoustic surface plasmons have been difficult to prove in practice, and a year ago, some scientists decided that the waves did not exist.