Electron–TO-phonon interaction in polar crystals

In the present work, the interaction between electrons and long-wavelength transverse optical (TO) vibrations in a polar insulator is considered. The crystal model employed for the theoretical analysis includes classical potentials and electronic polarizabilities. A significant enhancement of the strength of the electron–TO-phonon interaction in ferroelectrics has been found. A microscopic justification of this effect is given. A bridge that relates the interaction of electrons with the polar long-wavelength TO modes of lattice vibrations to the long-range dipole–dipole interaction is established. As an application of our analysis, a novel method for quantitative predictions of the electron–TO–phonon interaction constants in polar crystals via the data of experimental studies is suggested.