Role of occupied d states in the relaxation of hot electrons in Au

We present first-principles calculations of electron-electron scattering rates of low-energy electrons in Au. Our full band-structure calculations indicate that a major contribution from occupied d states participating in the screening of electron-electron interactions yields lifetimes of electrons in Au with energies of 1.0–3.0eV above the Fermi level that are larger than those of electrons in a free-electron gas by a factor of ∼4.5. This prediction is in agreement with a recent experimental study of ultrafast electron dynamics in Au(111) films [J. Cao et al., Phys. Rev. B 58, 10 948 (1998)], where electron transport has been shown to play a minor role in the measured lifetimes of hot electrons in this material.
We acknowledge partial support by the University of the Basque Country, the Basque Hezkuntza, Unibertistate eta Ikerketa Saila, and the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion y Cultura.