Self-Consistent Description of Interacting Phonons in a Crystal Lattice

Abstract

Self-consistent approach for interacting phonons description in lattice, which generalizes Debye model, is proposed. Notion of “selfconsistent” phonons is introduced, speed of which depends on temperature and is determined from non-linear equation. Debye energy is also a function of temperature in this approach. Thermodynamics of “self-consistent” phonon gas is constructed. It is shown, that at low temperatures there is a correction propotional to the seventh power of temperature to the cubic law of specific heat dependence on temperature. This may be one of the reasons why cubic law for specific heat is observed only at rather low temperatures. At high temperatures the theory predicts linear deviation from Dulong-Petit law, which is observed experimentally.