Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1519131 Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 2007 4 Pages PDF
Abstract
In condensed matter theories within the nonrelativistic framework, the screening of electrons in a free space takes place instantaneously, i.e., at infinite speed. In this paper, considering the screening in disordered (or random) systems, we show that it propagates at a finite speed of (ℓ/λ)ℓ/τ, depending on a ratio ℓ/λ of the electron mean free path ℓ and screening length λ, where ℓ/τ is the propagation speed of electrons between impurity potentials, which is identical to the Fermi velocity, and τ the electron elastic scattering time, thereby indicating that if the condition ℓ⪢λ holds like a situation in ordinary dirty conductors, the influence of retardation on the screening can be ignored safely in the same theoretical framework as above.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Materials Science Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
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