Theory of Quasi-Statically Screened Electron-Polar Optical Phonon Scattering

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Go, Yuji, Dutt, Rajeev, Neophytou, Neophytos
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Go, Yuji
Dutt, Rajeev
Neophytou, Neophytos
author_facet Go, Yuji
Dutt, Rajeev
Neophytou, Neophytos
contents The scattering of electrons with polar optical phonons (POP) is an important mechanism that limits electronic transport and determines electron mobility in polar materials. This is typically a stronger mechanism compared to non-polar acoustic and optical phonon scattering, and of similar strength to the Coulomb ionized impurity scattering. At high densities, on the other hand, the cloud of charge carriers screens the dipoles that are responsible for POP scattering, and weakens the electron-POP scattering strength. However, in contrast to ionized impurity scattering, for which the well-known Brooks-Herring equation provides the scattering rates with the effect of screening included, for scattering with POP there is no such closed-form mathematical expression. In this work, we derive such an expression based on Fermi's Golden Rule, which would prove particularly useful in understanding electronic transport in complex crystal and complex band structure materials, in which electron-POP scattering could dominate electronic transport.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_11392
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Theory of Quasi-Statically Screened Electron-Polar Optical Phonon Scattering
Go, Yuji
Dutt, Rajeev
Neophytou, Neophytos
Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
The scattering of electrons with polar optical phonons (POP) is an important mechanism that limits electronic transport and determines electron mobility in polar materials. This is typically a stronger mechanism compared to non-polar acoustic and optical phonon scattering, and of similar strength to the Coulomb ionized impurity scattering. At high densities, on the other hand, the cloud of charge carriers screens the dipoles that are responsible for POP scattering, and weakens the electron-POP scattering strength. However, in contrast to ionized impurity scattering, for which the well-known Brooks-Herring equation provides the scattering rates with the effect of screening included, for scattering with POP there is no such closed-form mathematical expression. In this work, we derive such an expression based on Fermi's Golden Rule, which would prove particularly useful in understanding electronic transport in complex crystal and complex band structure materials, in which electron-POP scattering could dominate electronic transport.
title Theory of Quasi-Statically Screened Electron-Polar Optical Phonon Scattering
topic Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.11392