Total-Energy pseudopotential calculations are used to study the onset
and development of plasticity in nanoindentation experiments. Plastic
flow of atoms towards interstitial positions and extrusion of material
towards the tip walls, stabilized by the adhesive interactions with t
he tip, are the dominant mechanisms. The delocalization of the charge
induced by the stress in the elastically compressed structure triggers
these plastic deformations. The onset of irreversible damage is relat
ed to the plastic deformation of the secund double layer of the Si(111
) surface.