Femtosecond thermalization dynamics of electrons in gold probed by surface plasmon resonance

Summary form only given. The dynamics and interactions of excited electrons are essential for the understanding of semiconductors and high temperature superconductors, as well as for the understanding of energy transfer and chemical reactions at surfaces. Recently, discrepancies between two-photon-photoemission experiments and the electron thermalization as described by Fermi-liquid theory have been found. It has been argued that the large perturbation of d-band electrons in these experiments complicates the understanding of the time evolution of the created electron distribution. We report the use of surface plasmon resonance as a sensitive technique to excite and probe the nonequilibrium electron distribution in gold without perturbation of d-band electrons.