5.2 From Fermi’s Golden Rule to the Totel Scattering Rate

Fermi’s Golden Rule is a method to calculate the transition rate from an initial state |α,kto a final state |α , k due to a perturbation. As described in the section 4.1.1.2, the general form of the transition probability is given by

α′   ′    2π-∑     ′  ′  ′  ˆ            2             ′  ′
Sα(k∥,k∥) =  ℏ    |⟨α ,k∥|⟨nq |Hint|nq ⟩|α,k ∥⟩| δ(Eα(k∥) - Eα (k∥)± ℏω )
             q
(5.2)

The energy exchange between the electrons and the lattice occurs via phonons and the Delta distribution ensures energy conservation. Here, ω is the energy of the absorbed or emitted phonons. For the phonon interaction, the perturbation potential can be written in the following form

          i(q⋅x-ω t)
Hˆint = ˆUqe      q
(5.3)

Inserting the wave function (3.1) into the matrix element appearing in Fermi’s Golden Rule, gives

′  ′                ∫  1  ⋆      ′               i(k -k′)⋅x
|⟨α,k ∥|H ˆint|α,k∥⟩| =     AΦ α′(z)|⟨nq|H ˆint|nq⟩|Φα(z)e ∥  ∥  dx
                    V
                    ∫    ∫                        1 i(k - k′+q )⋅x
                =     dz   dx ∥Φ ⋆α′(z)Φ α(z)eiqzz|Uq |-e  ∥  ∥   ∥
                         α                       A
                =   |Uq |Fα′(qz)δk∥+q∥,k′∥                               (5.4)
where Uq = nq|Ûq|nqand the form factor is given by
         ∫
 α           ⋆          iqzz
Fα′(qz) =   Φα′(z)Φ α(z)e   dz
(5.5)

In equation (5.2), the summation over q can be split into a sum over qz and another sum over q. Due to the momentum conservation, the sum over q gives only one term for q = k- k. The remaining summation in the z direction can be tranformed to an integration over qz according to

∑      L ∫
    →  -z-  dqz
 qz     2π

Thus, Fermi’s Golden Rule can be written as

α′     ′   Lz ∫           2  α     2                ′
Sα (k ∥,k ∥) =-ℏ-   |Uk ′∥-k∥,qz||Fα′(qz)| δ(Eα(k∥) - Eα′(k∥)± ℏω )dqz
(5.6)

Finally, the total scattering rate can be calculated as follows

1       A   ∫    ′
α′  =  ----2   S αα (k∥,k ′∥)dk ′∥
τα(k∥)     (2π )  ∫     ∫
   =  ---V--   dk ′  dq |U ′     |2|F α(q )|2δ(E  (k )- E  ′(k ′) ± ℏω)
      (2π )2ℏ      ∥    z  k∥-k∥,qz    α′ z      α  ∥     α   ∥
                                                                     (5.7)