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Inelastic lifetimes of hot electrons in real metals

I. Campillo·J. M. Pitarke·A. Rubio·E. Zarate·P. M. Echenique
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Abstract

We report a first-principles description of inelastic lifetimes of excited electrons in real Cu and Al, which we compute, within the GW approximation of many-body theory, from the knowledge of the self-energy of the excited quasiparticle. Our full band-structure calculations indicate that actual lifetimes are the result of a delicate balance between localization, density of states, screening, and Fermi-surface topology. A major contribution from $d$-electrons participating in the screening of electron-electron interactions yields lifetimes of excited electrons in copper that are larger than those of electrons in a free-electron gas with the electron density equal to that of valence ($4s^1$) electrons. In aluminum, a simple metal with no $d$-bands, splitting of the band structure over the Fermi level results in electron lifetimes that are smaller than those of electrons in a free-electron gas.

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I. Campillo, J. M. Pitarke, A. Rubio, E. Zarate, P. M. Echenique. 1999-07-30. Inelastic lifetimes of hot electrons in real metals. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.83.2230

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