Nonlinear effects in the energy loss of a slow dipole in a free-electron gas

Abstract

We analyze beyond linear-response theory the energy loss of a slow dipole moving inside a free-electron gas. The energy loss is obtained from a nonlinear treatment of the scattering of electrons at the dipole-induced potential. This potential and the total electronic density are calculated with density-functional theory. We focus on the interference effects, i.e., the difference between the energy loss of a dipole and that of the isolated charges forming it. Comparison of our results to those obtained in linear-response theory shows that a nonlinear treatment of the screening is required to accurately describe the energy loss of slow dipoles.