ELECTRON-ION INTERACTIONS IN TETRAGONAL METALS

The electron-ion interactions are evaluated exactly over the actual shape of the atomic polyhedron, instead of approximating it by a sphere or an ellipsoid, by making use of simple co-ordinate axes transformations and lattice symmetry in the case of fct and bct structures. It is shown that there are several alternative ways of expressing the interference factor, S(q), one of which was obtained by Sharan and others in the case of indium. By comparing these expressions with the latter, with those of corresponding cubic structures as well as with those obtained under spherical approximation respectively, the crystallographic equivalence and stability of tetragonal structures as well as the validity of Wigner-Seitz approximation are discussed. © 1977 the Indian Academy of Sciences.