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physica status solidi (b)

On the Existence of a Phase Transition for the Fröhlich Polaron

François Maria Peeters, J. T. Devreese

Published Jul 1, 1982• 68 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract The ground state energy and its first and second derivative with respect to the electron‐phonon coupling are calculated for the polaron theories of Feynman, Lépine and Matz, Mańka, Pekar, and the Gaussian approximation. It is suggested that the phase transition, from the mobile to the localized polaron state, found by some authors is a feature of their approximation rather than an intrinsic property of the Fröhlich Hamiltonian.

DOI
10.1002/pssb.2221120125

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Mean field theory of a single fröhlich polaron possible existence of phase transitions

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Abstract New results for the free polaron ground state energy are presented, based on a non‐perturbative Fock approximation mean field theory. From variational calculations a new energy upper bound for all couplings is obtained, whose newness lies in its cylindrical symmetry, thu sbreaking the spherical symmetry of the Fröhlich Hamiltonian. For α (the electron–phonon coupling constant)≦3 a translational invariant state is found, for 3 ≦ α ⪅ 3.8 a two‐dimensional localized state while for α ⪆ 3.8, a three‐dimensional cylindrical localized state is obtained. By linking the variational approach to a dynamical approximation of the Fröhlich Hamiltonian, the possibility is suggested of second‐order phase transitions for the structure of the polaron, in the framework of the Fock approximation.

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After deriving the quantum mechanical model polaron Hamiltonian, Frohlich, Pelzar and Zineau presented a perturbative solution to the problem. This chapter examines the perturbation theory from Frohlich et al. and presents other important weak and intermediate coupling polaron theories. It discusses several polaronic properties like average number of virtual phonons in the polaron cloud, electron life-time, lattice polarization potential using the first-order perturbative wave function and obtained the polaron energy and the polaron mass using the second-order Rayleigh-Schrodinger perturbation theory (RSPT). The second-order RSPT is known to have a limited range of validity. In the one-phonon Tamm-Dancoff approximation, the exact ground state energy appears in the denominator instead of the unperturbed energy that appears in RSPT. The chapter also discusses the work of Lee and Pines who have used the Tomonaga's approximation made in the formulation of the meson-theoretic problem to the case of polaron.

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The ground-state energy of a two-dimensional (2D) Fr\"ohlich polaron is calculated to second order in the coupling constant (\ensuremath{\alpha}) and gives E/\ensuremath{\Elzxh}${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{s}$=-(\ensuremath{\pi}/2)\ensuremath{\alpha}-0.063 97${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{2}$ with \ensuremath{\Elzxh}${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{s}$ the surface optical-phonon energy. In the strong-coupling limit the adiabatic approximation is used and E/\ensuremath{\Elzxh}${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{s}$=-0.4047${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{2}$ is found to leading order in \ensuremath{\alpha}. The Feynman path-integral approximation, the Gaussian approximation, and the modified Lee-Low-Pines unitary transformation approximation to the polaron ground-state energy all satisfy the scaling relation ${E}_{2\mathrm{D}}$(\ensuremath{\alpha})=(2/3)${E}_{3\mathrm{D}}$(( 3\ensuremath{\pi}/4)\ensuremath{\alpha}), where ${E}_{2\mathrm{D}}$ (${E}_{3\mathrm{D}}$) is the ground-state energy of the 2D (3D) polaron.

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Ground-state energy of a polaron inndimensions

François Maria Peeters, Xiaoguang Wu, J. T. Devreese

The Fr\"ohlich Hamiltonian is generalized to the case of an electron moving in n space dimensions. For n=2 and n=3 the familiar Fr\"ohlich Hamiltonian is reobtained. The polaron ground-state energy is calculated up to fourth order in perturbation theory. We found that within the Feynman two-particle polaron model approximation the polaron ground-state energy satisfies the scaling relation ${E}_{n\mathrm{D}(\mathrm{\ensuremath{\alpha}})}$=(n/3)${\mathrm{E}}_{3\mathrm{D}}$({\ensuremath{\Gamma}[ (n-1)/2]3 \ensuremath{\surd}\ensuremath{\pi} /2n\ensuremath{\Gamma}(n/2)}\ensuremath{\alpha}), where ${E}_{n\mathrm{D}}$ is the Feynman polaron ground-state energy for the polaron in n dimensions and ${E}_{3\mathrm{D}}$ the energy in three dimensions.

Physical review. B, Condensed matter•Mar 15, 1986•148 citations
Abstract The ground state energy and its first and second derivative with respect to the electron‐phonon coupling are calculated for the polaron theories of Feynman, Lépine and Matz, Mańka, Pekar, and the Gaussian approximation. It is suggested that the phase transition, from the mobile to the localized polaron state, found by some authors is a feature of their approximation rather than an intrinsic property of the Fröhlich Hamiltonian.
Abstract New results for the free polaron ground state energy are presented, based on a non‐perturbative Fock approximation mean field theory. From variational calculations a new energy upper bound for all couplings is obtained, whose newness lies in its cylindrical symmetry, thu sbreaking the spherical symmetry of the Fröhlich Hamiltonian. For α (the electron–phonon coupling constant)≦3 a translational invariant state is found, for 3 ≦ α ⪅ 3.8 a two‐dimensional localized state while for α ⪆ 3.8, a three‐dimensional cylindrical localized state is obtained. By linking the variational approach to a dynamical approximation of the Fröhlich Hamiltonian, the possibility is suggested of second‐order phase transitions for the structure of the polaron, in the framework of the Fock approximation.
Abstract It is shown that the Fröhlich polaron in a magnetic field (calculated in the Feynman approximation) exhibits a first‐order phase transition if the electron‐phonon coupling constant α is larger than 4.2. For α = 4.2 the transition is of second order. The phase transition manifests itself as a discontinuity in the magnetization, the susceptibility, and the polaron mass for a critical value of the magnetic field. It is found that at the transition point the phonon cloud surrounding the polaron cannot follow the electron in its motion in the magnetic field.
After deriving the quantum mechanical model polaron Hamiltonian, Frohlich, Pelzar and Zineau presented a perturbative solution to the problem. This chapter examines the perturbation theory from Frohlich et al. and presents other important weak and intermediate coupling polaron theories. It discusses several polaronic properties like average number of virtual phonons in the polaron cloud, electron life-time, lattice polarization potential using the first-order perturbative wave function and obtained the polaron energy and the polaron mass using the second-order Rayleigh-Schrodinger perturbation theory (RSPT). The second-order RSPT is known to have a limited range of validity. In the one-phonon Tamm-Dancoff approximation, the exact ground state energy appears in the denominator instead of the unperturbed energy that appears in RSPT. The chapter also discusses the work of Lee and Pines who have used the Tomonaga's approximation made in the formulation of the meson-theoretic problem to the case of polaron.
The ground-state energy of a two-dimensional (2D) Fr\"ohlich polaron is calculated to second order in the coupling constant (\ensuremath{\alpha}) and gives E/\ensuremath{\Elzxh}${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{s}$=-(\ensuremath{\pi}/2)\ensuremath{\alpha}-0.063 97${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{2}$ with \ensuremath{\Elzxh}${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{s}$ the surface optical-phonon energy. In the strong-coupling limit the adiabatic approximation is used and E/\ensuremath{\Elzxh}${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{s}$=-0.4047${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{2}$ is found to leading order in \ensuremath{\alpha}. The Feynman path-integral approximation, the Gaussian approximation, and the modified Lee-Low-Pines unitary transformation approximation to the polaron ground-state energy all satisfy the scaling relation E2D{E}_{2\mathrm{D}}E2D​(\ensuremath{\alpha})=(2/3)E3D{E}_{3\mathrm{D}}E3D​(( 3\ensuremath{\pi}/4)\ensuremath{\alpha}), where E2D{E}_{2\mathrm{D}}E2D​ (E3D{E}_{3\mathrm{D}}E3D​) is the ground-state energy of the 2D (3D) polaron.
The Fr\"ohlich Hamiltonian is generalized to the case of an electron moving in n space dimensions. For n=2 and n=3 the familiar Fr\"ohlich Hamiltonian is reobtained. The polaron ground-state energy is calculated up to fourth order in perturbation theory. We found that within the Feynman two-particle polaron model approximation the polaron ground-state energy satisfies the scaling relation ${E}_{n\mathrm{D}(\mathrm{\ensuremath{\alpha}})}$=(n/3)E3D{\mathrm{E}}_{3\mathrm{D}}E3D​({\ensuremath{\Gamma}[ (n-1)/2]3 \ensuremath{\surd}\ensuremath{\pi} /2n\ensuremath{\Gamma}(n/2)}\ensuremath{\alpha}), where EnD{E}_{n\mathrm{D}}EnD​ is the Feynman polaron ground-state energy for the polaron in n dimensions and E3D{E}_{3\mathrm{D}}E3D​ the energy in three dimensions.