Microscopic theory of electrodynamic response of diffuse jellium surfaces

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Abstract
A finite-slab mixed Fourier representation is used to study, within the random-phase approximation, the electromagnetic response of a jellium-metal film of arbitrary thickness, with a general form of the single-electron potential barrier defining the surface. Application is made to the calculation of various optical properties both for simple steplike potential barriers and the Lang-Kohn self-consistent potential. It is found that smooth potential barriers tend to support a localized collective excitation within the electronic charge-density tail at the surface, which is manifested by a dramatic enhancement of the optical power absorption. For thin films, finite-size oscillations are found in the surface response function below the plasma frequency, which are more pronounced for the steplike than for the Lang-Kohn potential well.