|
Abstract |
Abstract: Perturbative considerations account for the properties of conventional metals, including the
range of temperatures T where the transport scattering rate is 1/tau_tr = 2 \pi \lambda T, where \lambda is
a dimensionless strength of the electron-phonon coupling. The fact that measured values satisfy \lambda
<~ 1 has been noted in the context of a possible "Planckian" bound on transport. However, since the
electron-phonon scattering is quasi-elastic in this regime, no such Planckian considerations can be
relevant. I will argue, based on Monte Carlo results on the Holstein model, that a different sort of bound is
at play: a "stability" bound on \lambda consistent with metallic transport. I will then speculate that a
qualitatively similar bound on the strength of residual interactions, which is often stronger than Planckian,
may apply to metals more generally. |
