Effects of an intense electric field on metal surface geometry

The effects of a strong positive electric field on the surface geometry of a single crystal, smooth metal surface are discussed. Explicit density functional calculations are presented for the field induced relaxation and evaporation of the Al(111) surface layer of atoms. The results are then explained in terms of a simple model and approximately extended to other metal surfaces. Our model determines the critical field for surface evaporation if there is no reconstruction. Finally, we will briefly mention the possibility of field induced reconstruction and its role in determining the critical field for stripping the surface layer of atoms.