Charge Response of Jellium Surface through Ripplons

Abstract

The feasibility of explaining the charge response properties of a jellium surface through excitation of ripplon modes on the electron fluid is examined. It is demonstrated that for a sharp equilibrium density profile the response to the field of an external source through ripplons is different from that through surface plasmons, although in the non-dispersive limit they become identical despite the radical difference in the boundary conditions associated with the two types of excitation. It is suggested that because a free surface is more likely to satisfy the boundary condition for ripplons than for surface plasmons, the surface response properties would be determined more through the excitation of ripplons.