Non-rigid-muffin-tin calculations of the electron-phonon interaction in simple metals

Abstract

The Gaspari-Gyorffy theory for calculating the electron-phonon interaction $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ is extended to incorporate a correction to the rigid-muffin-tin approximation (RMTA). This correction is achieved by constructing a potential which has the correct asymptotic behavior at large distances and reduces to essentially a uniform potential well inside the muffin-tin sphere. This method is particularly applicable to the simple metals where the usual RMTA underestimates $\ensuremath{\lambda}$. The results obtained without any adjustable parameter are in better agreement with the experimental data than those obtained by the RMTA.