  Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) is used to study the dynamics of hot
electrons trapped on a Cu(100) surface in field emission resonances (FER) above
the vacuum level. Differential conductance maps show isotropic electron
interference wave patterns around defects whenever their energy lies within a
surface projected band gap. Their Fourier analysis reveals a broad wave vector
distribution, interpreted as due to the lateral acceleration of hot electrons
in the inhomogeneous tip-induced potential. A line-shape analysis of the
characteristic constant-current conductance spectra permits to establish the
relation between apparent width of peaks and intrinsic line-width of FERs, as
well as the identification of the different broadening mechanisms.
