Ab-initio calculation of the electronic structure and energetics of the unreconstructed Au(001) surface

The electronic structure, surface and relaxation energies, and the electric field gradient for the unreconstructed Au(001) surface were calculated by means of the ab-initio all-electron full-potential linearized augmented plane wave slab method. The valence states were calculated within the standard semi-relativistic approach whereas the core states are treated in a fully relativistic way. The Au(001) surface was modelled by free slabs of 5, 7, and 9 layers. From the 9-layer calculation a work function of 5.39 eV was obtained. For the surface energy a value of 1.30 J/m² for the unrelaxed geometry was derived from the total energies of the 7- and the 9-layer slabs. From total energy minimization of the 7-layer slab, a negative, inward relaxation of -2.6% and a relaxation energy of 14.3 × 10^-3 J/m² were derived. To discuss a mechanism of reconstruction, particular surface states were analyzed in detail in terms of the band structure, layer-dependent density of states and the charge density distribution. Differences of surface and central-layer charge densities show a gain of charge in z-direction localised below and also, to a smaller extent, above the surface atoms. We find a very small gain of delocalised charge in the surface plane between the nearest neighbour positions at the expense of more localised s-d hybridised states. The electric field gradient component Φ_zz was obtained in a two energy window calculation for which the Au5p states were also treated as band states. The resulting Φ_zz values are -16.50 × 10¹⁷ V/cm² surface layer, and -3.3 × 10¹⁷ V/cm² for the subsurface layer.