THE TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITIES OF THE ALKALI-METALS

This review contains a comprehensive examination of all modern measurements and calculations of the temperature-dependent electrical resistivity ρ(T) for the alkali metals-and especially potassium (K)-from their melting points down to below 0.1 K. The simplicity of the electronic structures of these metals makes them unique for testing our fundamental understanding of ρ(T). At all temperatures down to a few K, ρ(T) is dominated by its electron-phonon scattering component, ρep(T). Current quantitative understanding of ρep(T) in the alkali metals is examined in detail, including effects of phonon drag at temperatures below.