Andrievskii V. Transverse electron focusing study on electron relaxation and interaction in the point contacts and in the bismuth crystal

Object - processes of relaxation and interaction of nonequilibrium conduction electrons with accompany their injection and spreading over the Bi crystal at low temperatures. Aim - revealing the possibilities of the method of transverse focusing for exploring electron relaxation in the point contact, along the cyclotron trajectory and at the surface. The detection of the nature of the relaxation processes over wide range of excess energies of nonequilibrium electrons. Methods of investigation - transverse electrons focusing in metals and various electric measurements using point contacts technique. Results and novelty - a number of new scientific results have been obtained, analyzed and summarized which have fundamental importance for understanding the mechanisms of electron relaxation in conductors: the existence of narrowly directed flows of electrons injected by a point contact with current that are caused solely by the features of the Fermi surface have been revealed; the methods for determining excess energy of the electrons injected into the crystal has been proposed; the regularity of changing the electron-phonon relaxation time with change in excess electron energy has been found; the fact of formation of a curtain static skin-layer at the trigonal face of the Bi crystal has been provided both for specular and diffusive reflection of electrons; the "cyclotron spectroscopy" of electron-phonon relaxation has been proposed and realized; the possibility of observation of quantum-interference phenomena by the electron focusing has been demonstrated. The sphere of usage - the investigations of fundamental physical phenomena.