[Pw_forum] electrical conductivity of metallic surfaces

[Eduardo Ariel Menendez P]

Hi,
I wonder if it is possible to calculate the electrical conductivity of a
metallic surface, lets say, gold. In principle it should be possible
calculating the Fermi surface and using Boltzmann's kinetic equation,
but considering the amount of atoms needed for a surface calculation this
Fermi surface should be extremely nested.
a) Is it practical to obtain such a Fermi surface with espresso and
xcrysden?
b) Is it sound (theoretically) to calculate the surface's conductivity
(for currents parallel to the surface) using the Boltzmann equation
formalism?
Thanks
Eduardo


Eduardo A. Menendez Proupin
Department of Physics
Faculty of Science
University of Chile
Las Palmeras 3425
Ñuñoa, Santiago
Chile
Phone: (56)(2) 978 74 11
Fax  : (56)(2) 271 29 73
http://fisica.ciencias.uchile.cl/~emenendez/