Self-energy of image states on copper surfaces

TL;DR

This paper presents detailed calculations of the imaginary part of electron self-energy near copper surfaces, incorporating many-body effects and band structure to understand image state decay rates.

Contribution

It introduces advanced GW and GWΓ approximation calculations for electron self-energy on Cu surfaces, going beyond free-electron models.

Findings

Decay rates of image states on Cu surfaces calculated.

Band structure and many-body effects significantly influence electron relaxation.

Comparison of theoretical results with experimental data provided.

Abstract

We report extensive calculations of the imaginary part of the electron self-energy in the vicinity of the (100) and (111) surfaces of Cu. The quasiparticle self-energy is computed by going beyond a free-electron description of the metal surface, either within the GW approximation of many-body theory or with inclusion, within the GW$\Gamma$ approximation, of short-range exchange-correlation effects. Calculations of the decay rate of the first three image states on Cu(100) and the first image state on Cu(111) are also reported, and the impact of both band structure and many-body effects on the electron relaxation process is discussed.