Induced polarization by charged particles in real solids

Abstract We report a first-principles description of the induced wake potential and density in real solids. The linear-response formalism is used to obtain the potential and density induced by an external charge penetrating through an inhomogeneous periodic system. The linear dynamical response of the system is evaluated in the random-phase approximation, by including the full band structure of the solid. The impact of the periodic crystalline potential is analyzed, and variations of the wake along different channels is studied for aluminum and silicon.