Self-consistent calculation of the structural properties of silicon

The structural properties of silicon are self-consistently calculated by using two different models for the ionic pseudopotential ${\mathrm{Si}}^{4+}$. The use of the ion recently suggested by Harris and Jones improves significantly the results for the lattice constant and the bulk modulus obtained with other pseudopotentials. Furthermore, a value of 4.05 eV for the binding energy is obtained in close agreement with the experimental value.