Field emission resonances in photodetachment of negative ions on surface

The interaction between the field emission resonance states and the photodetached electron in an electric field is studied by semiclassical theory. An analytical expression of the photodetachment cross section is derived in the framework. It is found that the Stark shifted image state modulates the photodetachment cross section by adding irregular staircase or smooth oscillation in the spectrum. When the photodetached electron is trapped in a Stark shifted image potential well, the detachment spectrum displays an irregular staircase structure which corresponds to the modified Rydberg series. While the photodetached electron is not bound by the surface potential well, the cross section contains only a smooth oscillation due to the reflection of the electronic waves by the field or the surface.