Scattering of Electrons from Point Singularities in Metals

Abstract

Mott's calculations on the scattering of electrons from substitutional impurity atoms are extended to include the scattering from interstitial atoms and vacancies; the effects of lattice distortions around the singularities are taken into account. It is found that the lattice distortions do not change the order of magnitude of the calculated resistivity in most cases of practical interest, but may in some cases make a difference of a factor of three or more for substitutional atoms of the same valence as the replaced atoms. It is concluded that the resistance change due to a dissociated vacancy-interstitial pair in a monovalent metal of atomic number $Z$ is about equal to or somewhat larger than that due to two divalent substitutional atoms of atomic number $Z+1\mathrm{}$. Changes in the temperature-dependent part of the resistivity as a result of lattice distortions are found to be of the same order, at room temperature, as the changes in the residual resistivity due to the lattice distortions.