Band structure effects on the interaction of charged particles with solids

TL;DR

This paper reviews how band structure influences charged particle interactions with solids, highlighting interband transitions' role in plasmon decay and presenting ab initio calculations of electronic energy loss in aluminum and silicon.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive survey and new ab initio calculations incorporating realistic band structures and dynamic electronic responses for ion energy loss in solids.

Findings

Interband transitions significantly affect plasmon decay in Al and Si.

Ab initio calculations match experimental plasmon linewidths.

Both stopping powers and energy loss are quantitatively analyzed.

Abstract

A survey is presented of current investigations of the impact of band structure effects on various aspects of the interaction of charged particles with real solids. The role that interband transitions play in the decay mechanism of bulk plasmons is addressed, and results for plasmon linewidths in Al and Si are discussed. {\it Ab initio} calculations of the electronic energy loss of ions moving in Al and Si are also presented, within linear response theory, from a realistic description of the one-electron band structure and a full treatment of the dynamic electronic response of valence electrons. Both random and position-dependent stopping powers of valence electrons are computed.