Electrostatic energy per e- for an alkali metal

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the electrostatic energy per electron for alkali metals by modeling the positively charged core as a point charge and the electron as uniformly distributed over a sphere of radius Rs. It emphasizes the importance of including the self-energy of the electron distribution, which is repulsive, alongside the attractive force from the positive core. The use of a pseudopotential, rather than a Coulomb potential, simplifies the calculations by eliminating concerns about repulsive self-energy from other electrons. Various pseudopotentials can be downloaded from the internet for this purpose.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electrostatics and point charge models
  • Familiarity with pseudopotentials in quantum mechanics
  • Knowledge of self-energy concepts in physics
  • Basic skills in mathematical modeling and calculations
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the derivation of electrostatic energy for point charges
  • Study the application of pseudopotentials in solid-state physics
  • Learn about the calculation methods for self-energy in electron distributions
  • Explore available resources for downloading pseudopotentials
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, materials scientists, and students studying quantum mechanics or solid-state physics who are interested in electrostatic interactions in alkali metals.

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I'm trying to think about what it is I should be considering before I start throwing up some maths.

I'm thinking to assume that the positively charged core is a point charge +e and the electron is uniformly distributed over a sphere of radius Rs.

The self energy of the electron distribution, which is repulsive, should be included along with the attraction to the positive core, right?

Now how to go about calculating the electron's self energy...?
 
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First of all you can assume a pseudopotential (instead of coulomb potential) for combined core and non-valence electrons. That way you don't have to worry about other electrons and repulsive self-energy (as only one electron is present).

You can download various pseudopotentials from the internet.
 

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