Electron-Phonon Dynamics and Transport Anomalies in Random Metal Alloys

Abstract

This Letter represents a theory of transport in random metal alloys which focuses on certain model-independent features of the electron-phonon dynamics which have been previously neglected. It is found that the adiabatic phonon approximation breaks down in the high-resistivity regime producing an anomalous negative temperature coefficient of resistivity. Model numerical calculations suggest that this mechanism could be the source of the Mooij correlation between the resistivity and its temperature coefficient.