Microscopic origin of the Drude-Smith model

The Drude-Smith model has been used extensively in fitting the THz conductivities of nanomaterials with carrier confinement on the mesoscopic scale. Here, we show that the conventional 'backscattering' explanation for the suppression of low-frequency conductivities in the Drude-Smith model...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2017-10
Main Authors: Cocker, Tyler L, Baillie, Devin, Miles Buruma, Titova, Lyubov V, Sydora, Richard D, Marsiglio, Frank, Hegmann, Frank A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Backscattering
Computer simulation
Conductivity
Mathematical models
Monte Carlo simulation
Nanomaterials
Parameter modification
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The Drude-Smith model has been used extensively in fitting the THz conductivities of nanomaterials with carrier confinement on the mesoscopic scale. Here, we show that the conventional 'backscattering' explanation for the suppression of low-frequency conductivities in the Drude-Smith model is not consistent with a confined Drude gas of classical non-interacting electrons and we derive a modified Drude-Smith conductivity formula based on a diffusive restoring current. We perform Monte Carlo simulations of a model system and show that the modified Drude-Smith model reproduces the extracted conductivities without free parameters. This alternate route to the Drude-Smith model provides the popular formula with a more solid physical foundation and well-defined fit parameters.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1705.10350