The electronic structure of liquid metals

Abstract

An analysis is given of the electronic structure of liquids under conditions for which the almost free-electron approximation is applicable. An enumeration of the various conditions that can exist is given, based on the relative magnitudes of the mean free path and range of order in the liquid. An important case is that in which the electronic properties can be described in terms of the X -ray data and this is discussed in detail, the curves of energy against momentum being given with calculations of the resistance and Knight shift. When considerable order is present the analysis is more complicated and the behaviour of the energy momentum curves is given as the range of order varies from the extreme cases of no order to polycrystalline order.