Polaron formation at impurity-endowed lattices

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Lattice deformities in semiconductors can localize charge carriers.
• Polarons, quasiparticles formed by charge-phonon interactions, are crucial for charge transport.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate electron drift and polaron formation in impurity-disordered lattices.
• Analyze electronic dynamics in 1D lattices with barrier and well disorder.
• Examine the influence of initial electron velocity on propagation and localization.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a one-dimensional tight-binding model.
• Simulated electron dynamics in lattices with controlled disorder (barrier and well).
• Varied initial electron velocities to study propagation and localization phenomena.

Main Results:

• Observed distinct electron propagation and localization behaviors based on initial velocity.
• Determined critical impurity strengths that lead to the suppression of Bloch oscillations.
• Identified conditions for polaron localization in the disordered lattice.

Conclusions:

• Electron dynamics and polaron formation are highly sensitive to lattice disorder and initial velocity.
• Critical impurity levels can induce charge carrier localization, impacting electronic properties.
• The findings provide insights into charge transport mechanisms in imperfect semiconducting materials.