Contribution of inter- and intraband transitions into electron\u2013phonon coupling in metals

Nikita Medvedev,Igor Milov

doi:10.1140/epjd/s10053-021-00200-w

Abstract

We recently developed an approach for calculation of the electron–phonon (electron–ion in a more general case) coupling in materials based on tight-binding molecular dynamics simulations. In the present work, we utilize this approach to study partial contributions of inter- and intraband electron scattering events into total electron–phonon coupling in Al, Au, and Cu elemental metals and in AlCu alloy. We demonstrate that the interband scattering plays an important role in the electron–ion energy exchange process in Al and AlCu, whereas intraband d–d transitions are dominant in Au and Cu. Moreover, inter- and intraband transitions exhibit qualitatively different dependencies on the electron temperature. Our findings should be taken into account for the interpretation of experimental results on the electron–phonon coupling parameter.Graphic abstract

Highlights

Since the advent of powerful femtosecond lasers, the field of material response to irradiation has been developing fast [1]
The total coupling first increases with the increase in the electron temperatures and has a slight dip followed by a slow increase further
When a lot of electrons are available, it allows for many electron transitions which result in energy exchange with the atoms

Summary

Introduction

Since the advent of powerful femtosecond lasers, the field of material response to irradiation has been developing fast [1]. It is driven by a wide range of applications in materials surface and bulk processing and nanostructuring for photonics [2], catalysis [3] and biomedicine [4]. An ultrafast transfer of the absorbed laser energy from an electronic system of metal to the lattice is a core process that defines the nature and dynamics of irradiated target evolution. Understanding and quantifying such processes is important to keep advancing the field of ultrafast light-matter interaction.

Results

Discussion

Conclusion