Total dielectric function: Algebraic sign, electron-lattice response, and superconductivity

Philip B. Allen; Marvin L. Cohen; David R. Penn

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.38.2513

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Total dielectric function: Algebraic sign, electron-lattice response, and superconductivity

Philip B. Allen, Marvin L. Cohen, David R. Penn

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.38.2513 · Physical Review B

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Abstract

The interaction between two test charges in a solid can be described in terms of a total dielectric function that includes electronic and lattice polarization. Crystal stability requires the eigenvalues of ε−1 to be ≤1. Some implications for superconductivity are discussed. A total dielectric function for the electron-lattice system is derived in the mean-field approximation and its inverse is explicitly constructed. The low-lying poles of ε−1 give the correct phonon frequencies as determined by the usual dynamical matrix.