Debye-Waller Factors of Cubic Metals

Abstract

The exponents of the Debye-Waller factor for the cubic metals copper, silver, gold, aluminium, nickel, sodium, chromiun, and $\alpha$-iron are determined at different temperatures from the vibrational spectrum derived from a model for the lattice dynamics of metals recently propounded by Chéveau, which includes the influence of conduction electrons on lattice vibrations. The calculation uses Blackman's root-sampling technique for a discrete subdivision in wave-vector space. The results of the calculations are compared with available experimental data in terms of the Debye-Waller-factor temperature parameter $Y$, the effective x-ray characteristic temperature ${\Theta }_M$, and the mean-square displacement of the atoms $\overline{u^2}$. Except for chromium, the theoretical values show reasonably satisfactory agreement with the experimental measurements.