Spectral properties of quasiparticles in silicon: A test of many-body theory

The spectral function A(q, ω) of silicon has been measured along a number of symmetry directions using high-energy high-resolution electron momentum spectroscopy. It is compared with first-principles calculations based on the interacting one-electron Green’s function which is evaluated in the GW and the cumulant expansion approximations. Positions of the quasiparticle peaks (dispersion), their widths (lifetimes), and the extensive satellite structures are measured over a broad range of energies and momenta. The band dispersions are well described by both calculations, but the satellite predicted by the GW calculation is not observed. Unlike the GW calculation, the cumulant expansion calculation gives a significantly better description of the shape and momentum dependence of the satellite structure, presenting a promising approach for studying high-energy excitations.