Sputtering by excimer production from solid krypton

The ejection process in solid krypton following electronic de-excitation has been studied with molecular-dynamics simulations. We have introduced a new model for the excimer formation that includes the interaction between the excimer and the lattice. The excimer migrates up to 5 Å before it decays radiatively to the repulsive part of the ground state. Long-range collision sequences along lattice rows contribute significantly to the sputtering yield. The kinetic-energy distribution of sputtered particles based on this model agrees well with the experimental spectrum.