New Mechanism for Electronic Energy Relaxation in Nanocrystals
arXiv:cond-mat/0008221 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.62.9398
Abstract
The low-frequency vibrational spectrum of an isolated nanometer-scale solid differs dramatically from that of a bulk crystal, causing the decay of a localized electronic state by phonon emission to be inhibited. We show, however, that an electron can also interact with the rigid translational motion of a nanocrystal. The form of the coupling is dictated by the equivalence principle and is independent of the ordinary electron-phonon interaction. We calculate the rate of nonradiative energy relaxation provided by this mechanism and establish its experimental observability.
4 pages, Submitted to Physical Review B