Quantum oscillations of static displacements and of point-defect elastic interaction in metals

Abstract

It is shown that the static displacement fields around point defects and the elastic interaction energy between defects in metals at distances exceeding the interatomic spacing have an oscillating quantum component (QC), besides the smoothly varying component obtained in the elastic continuum theory. This QC decreases as R-n cos(2pFR+ phi ) in directions normal to the Fermi surface (FS), where 2pF is the FS diameter and n=1, 2 and 3 for flat, cylindrical and spherical FS sections, respectively. The QC has its origin in long-range interatomic interactions of similar form, both impurity-host and host-host. It is pointed out that the existence of QC in the atomic displacements should produce anomalies in diffuse X-ray and neutron scattering from metallic solid solutions.