Core electron binding energies in solids from periodic all-electron Δ-self-consistent-field calculations

Theoretical calculations of core electron binding energies are required for the interpretation of experimental X-ray photoelectron spectra, but achieving accurate results for solids has proven difficult. In this work, we demonstrate that accurate absolute core electron binding energies in both metallic and insulating solids can be obtained from periodic all-electron Δ-self-consistent-field (ΔSCF) calculations. In particular, we show that core electron binding energies referenced to the valence band maximum can be obtained as total energy differences between two (N – 1)-electron systems: one with a core hole and one with an electron removed from the highest occupied valence state. To achieve convergence with respect to the supercell size, the analogy between localized core holes and charged defects is exploited. Excellent agreement between calculated and experimental core electron binding energies is found for both metals and insulators, with a mean absolute error of 0.24 eV for the systems considered.