The Band Structure of Silver and Optical Interband Transitions

The band structure of silver has been calculated using the relativistic augmented plane wave method. Relativistic effects must be included if a quantitative interpretation of optical experiments is made. The L′2 → L1 gap is 1 eV smaller in the relativistic calculation than it is in a non‐relativistic band structure obtained from the same potential. This reduction of the L‐gap is in the present case sufficient to lead to an extra interband edge below the main edge at 3.98 eV. The optical function ε2(ω) and the energy distributions of photoemitted electrons have been calculated.