  The electronic structure of V2O3 thin films is studied by means of the
augmented spherical wave method as based on density functional theory and the
local density approximation. We establish that effects of charge
redistribution, induced by the vacuum interface, in such films are restricted
to a very narrow surface layer of approx. 15 Angstroem thickness. As a
consequence, charge redistribution can be ruled out as a source of the
extraordinary thickness-dependence of the metal-insulator transition observed
in V2O3 thin films of 100-1000 Angstroem thickness.
