2 Work function

The work function (WF) is one of the important characteristics of surface physics. This quantity, usually denoted by $ \Phi$ is defined as the minimum work that must be done to remove an electron from the surface at $ T=0K$. The WF could be extracted from experimental measurements and therefore it is often used as a control parameter in simulations. Nevertheless there are no systematic experimental studies which can be used as a proper reference for our theoretical study. The most popular experimental study about the work function is the H.B. Michaelson one [157], and corresponds mostly to polycrystalline samples. In that study we can find experimental values of the work function for 44 elements, including Co, Fe, Ni, Ag etc. Next we study how the work function depends on the surface's orientation and the relaxation of the lattice.



Subsections

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