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Role of dielectric screening in atom-surface interactions

  • Carey Schwartz

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The effect of dielectric screening of a substrate by an overlayer is calculated. Both the overlayer and substrate are modeled as dielectric continua which are then treated by linearized hydrodynamics. The effect of dielectric screening is a shift of the plane to which the total van der Waals interaction is referenced. It is found that models of the atom-surface interaction based upon the pairwise summation of atom-atom potentials underestimate the total van der Waals interaction as a result of ignoring dielectric screening. Detailed calculations are then carried out for helium interacting with a rare-gas-coated silver surface.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)437-443
    Number of pages7
    JournalThe Journal of chemical physics
    Volume83
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 1985

    All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

    • General Physics and Astronomy
    • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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