Self-consistent calculation of the electron distribution at a jellium surface in a strong static electric field

Abstract

The Hohenberg-Kohn-Sham formalism in local-density approximation is used to calculate self-consistently the effective potential and electron density profile at the surface of a jellium slab in a strong static electric field. In the wide range of induced surface-charge densities accessible to experiments in electrolytic cells, the shape of the calculated electron density profiles is characterized by suitable moments, and the induced charge density by its center of mass and by its width, which are related to static and to optical response properties, respectively. Comparison with previous work reveals the importance of self-consistency.