THERMO-ELECTRIC POWER OF COPPER

The diffuse part of the thermo-electric power due to the electron-phonon interaction, S, and due to the impurity scattering, Simp, is calculated for copper. The functional form of the electron-phonon coupling is adjusted to the observed temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity. Burdick's energy bands and the observed phonon spectrum are also taken into account in solving the Boltzmann equation numerically. Then, the energy dependence of the relaxation time is calculated. The sign of S and Simp is consistent with experiment, but in magnitude there are some discrepancies. The deviation from experiment, however, is very similar in S and Simp and is ascribed to the fact that the s–d hybridization in the Burdick’s bands is too large near the Fermi level. The mass shift due to the electron-phonon interaction is calculated as 0.19m0, where m0 is the free-electron mass. © 1968, THE PHYSICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN. All rights reserved.