  We have measured electron energy distribution curves (EDCs) of the
laser-induced field emission from a tungsten tip. Field emission from
photo-excited nonequilibrium electron distributions were clearly observed,
while no enhanced field emission due to optical electric fields appeared up to
values of 1.3 V/nm. Thus, we experimentally confirm the emission mechanism.
Simulated transient EDCs show that electron dynamics plays a significant role
in the laser-induced field emission. The results should be useful to find
optimal parameters for defining the temporal and spectral characteristics of
electron pulses for many applications based on pulsed field emission.
