Publication
Title
Beyond the Frohlich Hamiltonian : path-integral treatment of large polarons in anharmonic solids
Author
Abstract
The properties of an electron in a typical solid are modified by the interaction with the crystal ions, leading to the formation of a quasiparticle: the polaron. Such polarons are often described using the Frohlich Hamiltonian, which assumes the underlying lattice phonons to be harmonic. However, this approximation is invalid in several interesting materials, including the recently discovered high-pressure hydrides which superconduct at temperatures above 200 K. In this paper, we show that Frohlich theory can be extended to eliminate this problem. We derive four additional terms in the Frohlich Hamiltonian to account for anharmonicity up to third order. We calculate the energy and effective mass of the new polaron, using both perturbation theory and Feynman's path-integral formalism. It is shown that the anharmonic terms lead to significant additional trapping of the electron. The derived Hamiltonian is well suited for analytical calculations, due to its simplicity and since the number of model parameters is low. Since it is a direct extension of the Frohlich Hamiltonian, it can readily be used to investigate the effect of anharmonicity on other polaron properties, such as the optical conductivity and the formation of bipolarons.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Physical review B / American Physical Society. - New York, N.Y, 2016, currens
Publication
New York, N.Y : American Physical Society , 2021
ISSN
2469-9969 [online]
2469-9950 [print]
DOI
10.1103/PHYSREVB.103.184306
Volume/pages
103 :18 (2021) , 15 p.
Article Reference
184306
ISI
000655871400002
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Ab-initio calculations for anharmonic polarons in hydrides.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 28.06.2021
Last edited 29.11.2024
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