Self-consistent calculation of electron-density profiles at strongly charged jellium surfaces

We present a self-consistent calculation of the electron distribution at a jellium surface in a strong static electric field, based on the Hohenberg-Kohn-Sham theory in the local-density approximation. For different metallic densities rₛ=2,3,4,5 and the wide range of surface-charge densities accessible to experiments in electrolytic cells, we calculate suitable moments characterizing the electron-density profile, and give results for the center of mass and spread of the induced charge density, which are related to static and optical response properties, respectively. Our self-consistent results differ remarkably from previous results based on other methods and from model assumptions previously made in order to explain properties of charged surfaces.