Skip to main content
Log in

On the spectrum of the dynamical matrix for a class of disordered harmonic systems

  • Articles
  • Published:
Journal of Statistical Physics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We study some aspects of the effect of mass disorder on the spectrum of the dynamical matrix of an infinite crystal in the harmonic approximation. Under suitable conditions on the masses, it is shown that the spectrum contains an absolutely continuous part and a nonempty set of isolated point eigenvalues of finite multiplicity whose number is smaller than or equal to the number of impurity atoms if the latter is finite. These conditions are satisfied only in the limiting case of zero concentration of each species of impurity. We draw some conjectures and make remarks on the spectrum under less restrictive conditions on the masses and briefly compare them with known results for random harmonic systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. A. A. Maradudin, E. W. Montroll, and G. H. Weiss, Theory of Lattice Dynamics in the Harmonic Approximation, inSolid State Physics, Suppl. 3 (Academic Press, New York, 1963).

    Google Scholar 

  2. R. J. Elliott, Impurity and Anharmonic Effects in Lattice Dynamics, inProc. Int. School Phys. E. Fermi, Course LV, S. Califano, ed. (Academic Press, New York, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  3. A. Casher and J. L. Lebowitz,J. Math. Phys. 12:1701 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  4. J. L. Lebowitz, Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics,Cours de Troisième Cycle en Suisse Romande, Summer 1976, and references therein.

  5. T. Kalo,Perturbation Theory for Linear Operators (Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1966).

    Google Scholar 

  6. M. Reed and B. Simon,Methods of Modern Mathematical Physics, Vol. 1,Functional Analysis (Academic Press, New York, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  7. F. Riesz and B. Sz-Nagy,Leçons d'Analyse Fonctionnelle, 4th ed. (Gauthier-Villars, Paris, 1965).

    Google Scholar 

  8. G. N. Watson,Quart. J. Math. 10:266 (1939).

    Google Scholar 

  9. G. C. Ghirardi and A. Rimini,J. Math. Phys. 6:40 (1965).

    Google Scholar 

  10. B. Simon,Hamiltonians Defined as Quadratic Forms (Princeton Univ. Press, 1971).

  11. J. F. Perez, Thesis, ETH Zürich (1973), (unpublished).

  12. F. Trèves,Topological Vector Spaces, Distributions and Kernels (Academic Press, New York, 1967).

    Google Scholar 

  13. A. O'Connor and J. L. Lebowitz,J. Math. Phys. 15:692 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  14. O. E. Lanford and J. L. Lebowitz, inDynamical Systems, J. Moser, ed. (Lecture Notes in Physics, Vol. 38, Springer Verlag, 1976).

  15. L. van Hemmen, A Generalization of Rayleigh's Theorem to the Infinite Harmonic Crystal, Preprint I.H.E.S. (1977).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Supported in part by the Swiss National Fund (to M.R.) and the Eidgenössische Stipendienkommission für ausländische Studierende (to W. F. W.).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Romerio, M., Wreszinski, W.F. On the spectrum of the dynamical matrix for a class of disordered harmonic systems. J Stat Phys 17, 301–310 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01014400

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01014400

Key words

Navigation