Interaction of a Charge with the Metal

Abstract

A rigorous calculation of the thermodynamic equilibrium of the metal–external charge system has shown that the generally accepted assumption that the electric field does not penetrate into the metal is incorrect. In reality, the field penetrates deep into the metal, and the interaction of the charge with the metal is noticeably stronger than the standard interaction with the electric image of the charge. It depends on the characteristics of the electronic system of the metal, on the sign of the charge, and, somewhat differently than the standard one, depends on the magnitude of the charge.