We present a comparative assessment of the features of inelastic atom-surface scattering spectra that are produced by several different forms of linear and nonlinear phonon coupling to the projectile atom. Starting from a simple theoretical model of atom-surface scattering and employing several recently developed exact numerical and approximate analytical methods we calculate and compare the scattering probabilities ensuing from each form of interaction and from each calculational scheme. This enables us to demonstrate that in the regime of thermal energy atom scattering from surfaces the dominant contributions to the zero-, one- and multi-phonon excitation probabilities obeying unitarity arise from linear coupling treated to all orders in the interaction.
We develop a multidimensional coupled channel method suitable for studying the interplay of bound state resonance and phonon assisted scattering of inert gas atoms from solid surfaces in one, two and three dimensions. This enables us to get insight into the features that depend on the dimensionality of inelastic resonant processes typically encountered in low energy He atom scattering from surfaces, in general, and to elaborate on the observability of recently conjectured near threshold resonances in scattering from Einstein phonons, in particular.
Understanding the physics of strongly correlated electronic systems has been a central issue in condensed matter physics for decades. In transition metal oxides, strong correlations characteristic of narrow $d$ bands is at the origin of such remarkable properties as the Mott gap opening, enhanced effective mass, and anomalous vibronic coupling, to mention a few. SrVO$_3$, with V$^{4+}$ in a $3d^1$ electronic configuration is the simplest example of a 3D correlated metallic electronic system. Here, we focus on the observation of a (roughly) quadratic temperature dependence of the inverse electron mobility of this seemingly simple system, which is an intriguing property shared by other metallic oxides. The systematic analysis of electronic transport in SrVO$_3$ thin films discloses the limitations of the simplest picture of e-e correlations in a Fermi liquid; instead, we show that the quasi-2D topology of the Fermi surface and a strong electron-phonon coupling, contributing to dress carriers with a phonon cloud, play a pivotal role on the reported electron spectroscopic, optical, thermodynamic and transport data. The picture that emerges is not restricted to SrVO$_3$ but can be shared with other $3d$ and $4d$ metallic oxides.
We employ time-resolved resonant x-ray diffraction to study the melting of charge order and the associated insulator-metal transition in the doped manganite Pr$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ after resonant excitation of a high-frequency infrared-active lattice mode. We find that the charge order reduces promptly and highly nonlinearly as function of excitation fluence. Density functional theory calculations suggest that direct anharmonic coupling between the excited lattice mode and the electronic structure drive these dynamics, highlighting a new avenue of nonlinear phonon control.
Atom scattering is becoming recognized as a sensitive probe of the electron-phonon interaction parameter $lambda$ at metal and metal-overlayer surfaces. Here, the theory is developed linking $lambda$ to the thermal attenuation of atom scattering spectra (in particular, the Debye-Waller factor), to conducting materials of different dimensions, from quasi-one dimensional systems such as W(110):H(1$times$1) and Bi(114), to quasi-two dimensional layered chalcogenides and high-dimensional surfaces such as quasicrystalline 2ML-Ba(0001)/Cu(001) and d-AlNiCo(00001). Values of $lambda$ obtained using He atoms compare favorably with known values for the bulk materials. The corresponding analysis indicates in addition the number of layers contributing to the electron-phonon interaction that is measured in an atom surface collision.
Electron-phonon coupling (EPC) is one of the most common and fundamental interactions in solids. It not only dominates many basic dynamic processes like resistivity, thermal conductivity etc, but also provides the pairing glue in conventional superconductors. But in high-temperature superconductors (HTSC), it is still controversial whether or not EPC is in favor of paring. Despite the controversies, many experiments have provided clear evidence for EPC in HTSC. In this paper, we briefly review EPC in cuprate and iron-based superconducting systems revealed by Raman scattering. We introduce how to extract the coupling information through phonon lineshape. Then we discuss the strength of EPC in different HTSC systems and possible factors affecting the strength. The comparative study between Raman phonon theories and experiments allows us to gain insight into some crucial electronic properties, especially superconductivity. Finally we summarize and compare EPC in the two existing HTSC systems, and discuss what role it may play in HTSC.