Spin-dependent photoemission induced by a jump in the electron g-factor at the p-GaAs(Cs,O)-vacuum interface

It has been found experimentally that the probability of emitting electrons from p-GaAs(Cs,O) to vacuum in the presence of a magnetic field depends on the sign of the circular polarization of exciting light. The main cause of this effect is the jump in the electron g-factor at the semiconductor-vacuum interface (from g* = −0.44 in GaAs to g ₀ = 2 in vacuum). Owing to the jump in the electron g-factor, the effective electron affinity depends on the mutual orientation of optically oriented electrons and the magnetic field and this dependence results in the spin-dependent photoemission.