Temperature Dependence of the Thermal Resistivity of Noble Metals

Abstract

Abstract The temperature dependence of the thermal resistivity of copper, silver, and gold is calculated within the free electron approximation and using the anisotropic continuum dispersive model proposed by Sharma and Joshi for the lattice dynamics of cubic metals. The phonon spectrum has been calculated with the help of the modified Houtson's spherical six-term procedure as elaborated by Betts at al. Bardeen's matrix elements for the scattering of free electrons have been incorporated into the variational expression developed for the Boltzman transport equation. The theoretically calculated resistivity values of copper, silver, and gold are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.