Eur. Phys. J.

B (2017) 90: 260

DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2017-80111-y THE EUROPEAN
PHYSICAL JOURNAL B
Regular Article

Electron–phonon heat exchange in quasi-two-dimensional

nanolayers
Dragos-Victor Anghel a and Sergiu Cojocaru
Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, 077125 Măgurele, Romania

Received 23 February 2017 / Received in final form 1 October 2017

Published online 18 December 2017 – c EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2017

Abstract. We study the heat power P transferred between electrons and phonons in thin metallic films
deposited on free-standing dielectric membranes. The temperature range is typically below 1 K, such that
the wavelengths of the excited phonon modes in the system is large enough so that the picture of a
quasi-two-dimensional phonon gas is applicable. Moreover, due to the quantization of the components
of the electron wavevectors perpendicular to the metal film’s surface, the electrons spectrum forms also
quasi two-dimensional sub-bands, as in a quantum well (QW). We describe in detail the contribution
to the electron–phonon energy exchange of different electron scattering channels, as well as of different
types of phonon modes. We find that heat flux oscillates strongly with thickness of the film d while
having a much smoother variation with temperature (Te for the electrons temperature and Tph for the
phonons temperature), so that one obtains a ridge-like landscape in the two coordinates, (d, Te ) or (d, Tph ),
with crests and valleys aligned roughly parallel to the temperature axis. For the valley regions we find
P ∝ Te3.5 − Tph
3.5
. From valley to crest, P increases by more than one order of magnitude and on the crests
P cannot be represented by a simple power law. The strong dependence of P on d is indicative of the
formation of the QW state and can be useful in controlling the heat transfer between electrons and crystal
lattice in nano-electronic devices. Nevertheless, due to the small value of the Fermi wavelength in metals,
the surface imperfections of the metallic films can reduce the magnitude of the oscillations of P vs. d, so
this effect might be easier to observe experimentally in doped semiconductors.

1 Introduction However, theoretical investigations of quasi-two-dimen-

At low temperatures, the energy exchange between elec-
trons and phonons slows down and it becomes possible to
reach a non-equilibrium steady state when thermalization
of the electron system and of the lattice (the phonon sys-
tem) takes place at distinct (effective) temperatures, say
Te and Tph , respectively. Then, the leading term in the
expression of the heat flux may be written in the form
P = V Σ(Tex − Tph
x
),
where V is the volume of the metal, Σ is a constant of
material, and the exponent x depends on the effective
dimensionality s of the phonon gas. Theoretical and exper-
imental studies show that for s = 3, x = 5 [1], for s = 2,
x = 4 [2,3], and for s = 1, x = 3 [4]. So, one may expect
that
x = 2 + s.
a
e-mail: dragos@theory.nipne.ro
sional nano-systems consisting of a metallic film deposited
on a dielectric membrane lead to a rather complicated
dependence of the heat power on Te and Tph , which, in
general, is described by P ∝ Te3.5 − Tph 3.5
[5]. Beside the
exponent x = 3.5, which would correspond to a fractional
dimensionality s = 1.5, a distinctive feature of the phys-
ical properties of such systems is that P has very sharp
peaks, when plotted as a function of the thickness of the
metallic layer, at fixed Te and Tph .
(1a) The thermal properties of the systems that we study
here, as a continuation of reference [5], differ strongly from
the conjecture (1) [1–4] and are due to the realization
of the quantum well (QW) state, in which the electrons
wavenumbers components perpendicular to the metallic
film surfaces are quantized. While the low carrier density
permits the realization of the QW state in the semicon-
ductor nanostructures, the realization of such a state in
the electron system of a metallic film remains an open
question. Therefore our results may shed some light on
(1b) this issue.
In the present work we address the issue of the relative
contribution of intra- and inter-band electron scatter-
ing channels for the electron–phonon energy exchange.
Page 2 of 17 Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260

2.1 The electron subsystem

As in [5], we describe the electron system as an ideal
Fermi gas, confined in the thin metallic film (Fig. 1). We
denote the electron wavevector by k ≡ (kk , kz ), where
kk and kz are the components of k perpendicular and
parallel to the z axis, respectively. The discrete values
of kk and kz are determined by imposing on the wave-
functions periodic boundary conditions in the (xy) plane
and Dirichlet boundary condition on the film surfaces,
z = L/2 − d and z = L/2. Since the area of the film A
is much bigger than L2 , kk is quasi-continuous, whereas
kz takes discrete values, kz (n, d) ≡ πn/d (n = 1, 2, . . .) –
Fig. 1. The schematic model of the system. On a dielectric
the dependence of kz on d and n will be often kept implicit
membrane with parallel surfaces perpendicular on the z axis is
henceforth. The wave function can√then be written as
deposited an uniform metallic film. The surfaces of the mem- i(k r − t/~)
brane cut the z axis at −L/2 and L/2 − d, whereas the upper
ψkk ,n (r, t) = φkz (z)e k k kk ,n / A, where
surface of the film cuts the z axis at L/2. In the (x, y) plane, the
area of the device is A ( L2 ). The whole system is treated like
r   
2 L
a homogeneous elastic continuum, with the elastic properties φkz (z) = sin z+d− kz , (2)
and the density of silicon nitride (SiNx ).
d 2

This paper is organized as follows. We first introduce ~2 k 2 ~2 kk2 ~2 kz2

the formalism and notations, giving briefly some extra k = = + ≡ kk ,kz , (3)
2me 2me 2me
details regarding the computations of the heat power
in reference [5]. Then, we explicitly calculate the heat
flux from electrons to phonons due to the processes is the electron energy, me is the electron mass, k ≡ |k|,
which involve electrons scattered from one electronic sub- kk ≡ |kk |, and rk is the projection of the position vector
band to another (the inter-band scattering) and compare r on the (xy) plane. The electrons are distributed over
these results with the dominant processes, involving only energy sub-bands, defined by fixed kz (n) ≡ πn/d, so we
intra-band electron scattering. shall also use the notation kk ,kz (n) ≡ kk ,n . In the second
The formation of crests in the heat flux is a conspicuous quantization, the electron field operators are
consequence of the electrons wavevector discretization.
Nevertheless, the crests being very narrow, one requires
X
Ψ (r, t) = ψkk ,kz (r, t)ckk ,kz and (4a)
high numerical precision to plot and observe the maxima. kk ,kz
For this reason, in the appendix we analyze the crests ana-
ψk∗ k ,kz (r, t)c†kk ,kz ,
X
lytically and give simple expressions for the locations and Ψ † (r, t) = (4b)
the heights of the maxima, as well as the shape of the kk ,kz
function around the maxima.
where c†kk ,kz and ckk ,kz are the electron creation and anni-
2 The model hilation operators on the state specified by the couple
(kk , kz ).
A structure typical for an electromagnetic radiation detec- To better understand the physical problem, let us com-
tor, which has a working temperature below 1 K [6–8], is pute the magnitude of some important quantities related
represented by Figure 1: it contains, as its basic elements, to the electron gas. The Cu Fermi energy is EF ≈
a metallic film (e.g., copper) deposited on a dielectric 7 eV, which gives a Fermi temperature TF = EF /kB ≈
free-standing membrane (e.g., silicon nitride). The thick- 81 231 K. If we denote by
ness of the film (denoted by d) is of the order of 10 nm
and that of the membrane (L − d) is of the order of 100 √ 
2me EF
nm. We study the heat flux between the free electrons – nF ≡ d (5)
located in the metal layer – and the phonons – propagating π~
through the whole structure. In the sub-Kelvin tempera-
ture range, the phonon gas undergoes a dimensionality the number of the highest sub-band populated at 0 K
cross-over, from a three-dimensional (3D) distribution, at (where bxc is the biggest integer smaller or equal to x),
higher temperatures, to a quasi-two-dimensional (2D) dis- then for d = 10 and 20 nm, nF = 43 and 86, respectively.


tribution, at lower temperatures [9–11]. For a 100 nm thick Furthermore, for d = 10 nm, kk =0,n=2 − kk =0,n=1 /kB
silicon nitride (SiNz ) slab, the crossover is estimated to ≈ 131 K whereas (kk =0,n=44 − kk =0,n=43 )/kB ≈ 3796 K.
take place around the temperature TC ≡ ct ~/(2kB L) ≈ Because of these values – as we shall see further – the
237 mK, where ct is the transversal sound velocity and L energy exchange involving electrons scattered between
is the thickness of the membrane [11]. different sub-bands are very rare.
Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260 Page 3 of 17

2.2 The phonon subsystem
We consider the whole system (membrane plus film) as
a single elastic solid of thickness L and area A. The
i(q r −ω t) √
elastic modes are denoted by wqk ξ (z)e k k qk ξ / A,
where qk is the component of the wavevector parallel to
the (x, y) plane and the functions wqk ξ (z) are normal-
R L/2
ized, such that −L/2 wqk ξ (z)† wqk ξ0 (z)dz = δξ,ξ0 [5,12].
The elastic modes are divided into three main categories
(we shall call them polarizations, for simplicity): horizon-
tal shear h, dilatational (or symmetric with respect to the
mid-plane) s, and flexural (or antisymmetric with respect
to the mid-plane) a. The h modes are pure transversal
waves, whereas the s and a modes are superpositions of
longitudinal and transversal waves, as we shall see fur-
ther. The quantization of the wavevector component in
the z direction leads to the formation of phonon branches
ν = 0, 1, . . .. A phonon mode is identified by qk and the
couple ξ ≡ (α, ν), where α = h, s or a is the polarization.
The h modes are transversal waves [13], with the
wavevector component parallel to the z axis denoted by
qthν = νπ/L, where ν = 0, 1, . . ., and t in the subscript
stands for transversal. If we use the notation qk ≡ |qk |,
whereas ct and cl are the transversal and longitudinal
sound velocities, q respectively, then the phonon frequency
is ωqk ,h,ν = ct qk2 + qt,h,ν
2 . If ρ is the density, whereas λ
and µ are the Lamé coefficients of SiNz , then
µ λ + 2µ
c2t = , c2l = . (6)
ρ ρ
For ν > 0, qtξ takes only positive values for any qk ,
(c)
whereas qlξ takes positive values for qk ≤ qk,ξ and imagi-
(c) (c)
nary values for qk > qkξ , where qkξ is a cutoff value, which
depends on the polarization α and branch ν. For the low-
est branch antisymmetric modes (ν = 0 and α = a), both
qta0 and qla0 take imaginary values. For the lowest branch
symmetric modes (ν = 0 and α = s), qls0 takes imaginary
(c)
values whereas gts0 takes real positive values for qk ≤ qks0
(c)
and imaginary values for qk > qks0 . We are interested in
the low temperature phenomena, so we work only with
the lowest branch (ν = 0) and in the asymptotic region
qk L  1. In such a case, qta0 , qla0 , and qls0 take imaginary
values, whereas qts0 is real and positive. The functions
qta0 (qk ), qla0 (qk ), qts0 (qk ), and qls0 (qk ) are continuous (for
any qk ), with qta0 (0) = qla0 (0) = qts0 (0) = qls0 (0) = 0.
In the second quantization, the displacement field oper-
ator is denoted by
s
h i
~
aqk ξ wqk ξ (z) + a†−qk ξ wq∗ k ξ (z)
X
u(r, t) =
2ρωqk ξ
ξ,qk
i(qk rk −iωqk ξ t)
×e , (8)
where a†qk ξ and aqk ξ are the phonon creation and anni-
hilation operators. We introduce the notation J ≡ c2t /c2l
(J < 1/2 from Eq. (6)) and we shall write qt instead of
qt,ξ and ql instead of ql,ξ , when this does not lead to con-
fusions. Explicitly, the normalized displacement fields of
the s and a waves are [12]

The s and a types of modes are superpositions of longi-

  
2 qt L
tudinal and transversal waves [13]. In each mode (either wqk ,s,ν,x = Ns iqt 2qk cos cos (ql z) + (qt2 − qk2 )
2
s or a), the wavevector component qk is the same for   
both, longitudinal and transversal waves, whereas the ql L
× cos cos (zqt ) , (9a)
components parallel to the z axis, denoted by qt,α,ν for 2
transversal and ql,α,ν for longitudinal waves (α = s, a,  
qt L

ν = 0, 1, . . .), are related by the equation wqk ,s,ν,z = Ns qk −2qt ql cos sin (ql z) + (qt2 − qk2 )
2
  
ql L
−4qk2 qlα qtξ

tan(qtξ L/2)
±1 × cos sin (zqt ) , (9b)
= , (7a) 2
(qk2 − qtξ
2 )2 tan(qlξ L/2)  
qt L

wqk ,a,ν,x = Na iqt 2qk2 sin sin (ql z) + (qt2 − qk2 )
2
where +1 and −1 exponents on the right hand side
  
ql L
correspond to the polarizations α = s and α = a, respec- × sin sin (zqt ) , (9c)
2
tively [13]. Equation (7a) should be solved subject to the   
condition qt L
wqk ,a,ν,z = Na qk 2qt ql sin cos (ql z) − (qt2 − qk2 )
2
  
ql L
q q
ωqk ,ξ = cl 2 + q2 = c
ql,ξ 2 + q2 .
qt,ξ (7b)
k t k × sin cos (zqt ) , (9d)
2

For each polarization and for each value of qk , there is an
infinite series of solutions of the system (7), correspond-
ing to the branches ν = 0, 1, . . .. In general, qtαν and qlαν
may take both, (positive) real and imaginary values, as
explained for example in [13] (see also [12]), whereas qk
takes only real positive values, by definition.
where we took qk along the x axis.
In the low temperature limit, Lqk  1 and ν = 0, as
we wrote above, and we introduce the notations ql,s,0 ≡
ipl,s , qt,a,0 = ipt,a , and ql,a,0 = ipl,a , where pl,s , pt,a , and
pl,a , together with qt,s,0 ≡ qt,s , are real and positive. The
component qt,h,ν is always real as stated above. With these
Page 4 of 17 Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260

specifications we can rewrite equations (9) as where EF is the Fermi energy. Plugging equations (4) and
   (8) into (13), we get
qt L
wqk ,s,0,x = Ns iqt 2qk2 cos cosh (pl z) + (qt2 − qk2 )
2 0
h
n ,n †
X
   Hdef = gξ,q c
k kk +qk ,n
0 ckk ,n aqk ξ
pl L kk ,qk ,ξ,n,n0
× cosh cos(zqt ) , (10a)
2  0 ∗
n ,n † †
i
   + gξ,q c kk −qk n kk ,n qk ξ ,
0 c a (14)
qt L k
wqk ,s,0,z = Ns qk 2qt pl cos sinh(pl z) + (qt2 − qk2 )
2
0
n ,n
where n and n0 in the notation gξ,q
  
pl L refer to the electrons
× cosh sin(zqt ) , (10b) k
2 states (see Eqs. (2) and (3)). The transversal deformations
 
pt L
 have zero divergence, so the h modes, together with the
wqk ,a,0,x = Na pt 2qk2 sinh sinh(pl z) − (p2t + qk2 ) transversal components of the s and a modes do not con-
2
   tribute to the electron–phonon interaction. This leads to
pl L the coupling constants [5]
× sinh sinh(zpt ) , (10c)
2
  
pt L
s Z L/2
wqk ,a,0,z = −iNa qk 2pt pl sinh cosh(pl z) n0 ,n 2 ~
2 gξ,q = EF Nα φ∗ 0 (z)φn (z)
  
k
3 2ρωqk ,ξ L/2−d n
2 2 pl L
−(pt + qk ) sinh cosh(zpt ) . (10d) ∂wqk ,ξ,z (z)
 
2 × iqk · wqk ,ξ (z) + dz, (15)
∂z
In the same limit, the normalization constants are
where ξ = (s, ν) or ξ = (a, ν). The power flux from
Nh−2 = V, for m = 0 and electrons to phonons is
Nh−2 = V /2, for m > 0, (11) h
X
em 0
P =2 ~ωqk ,ξ Γξ,n,n 0 (kk ; kk , qk )

kk ;k0k ,qk ,ξ
 
sinh(pl L) ab 0
i
Ns−2 2 2
= A 4qt qk cos (qt L/2) (p2l + qk2 )
2
−Γξ,n,n 0 (kk ; kk , qk ) , (16)
2pl

L
−(p2l − qk2 ) + (qt2 − qk2 )2 cosh2 (pl L/2) where the factor 2 comes from the electrons spin degener-
2 em ab
  acy, whereas Γξ,n,n 0 and Γξ,n,n0 are emission and absorp-

2 2 L 2 2 sin(qt L) tion rates, respectively.

× (qt + qk ) + (qt − qk )
2 2qt We introduce the notations βe ≡ 1/(kB Te ), βph ≡
 1/(kB Tph ), and qk ,ξ ≡ ~ωqk ,α,0 (ξ will be omitted when
2 2 2 2
+4qk qt (qt − qk ) cosh (pl L/2) sin(qt d) , (12a) this does not lead to confusions), where Te and Tph are
the electrons and phonons temperatures, respectively, as
explained in Section 1. Applying the Fermi’s golden rule,
  we obtain [5]
sinh(pl L)
Na−2 2
= A 4pt qk sinh (pt L/2) (p2l + qk2 )
2 2
2pl
em 2π n0 ,n 2  
Γξ,n,n 0 (kk ; kk − qk , qk ) = |g | n(βph qk ,ξ ) + 1

L ~ ξ,qk
+(p2l − qk2 ) + (p2t + qk2 )2 sinh2 (pl L/2)
2 ×f (βe kk ,n )[1 − f (βe kk −qk ,n0 )]
 
2 2 sinh(pt L) 2 2 L ×δ(kk −qk ,n0 − kk ,n + qk ,ξ ),
× (pt + qk ) − (pt − qk )
2pt 2
 (17a)
2 2 2 2
−4qk pt (pt + qk ) sinh (pl L/2) sinh(pt L) . (12b) 2π 0
ab
Γξ,n,n 0 (kk − qk ; kk , qk ) = |g n ,n |2 n(βph qk ,ξ )
~ ξ,qk
×[1 − f (βe kk ,n )]f (βe kk −qk ,n0 )
2.3 The electron–phonon coupling
×δ(kk −qk ,n0 − kk ,n + qk ,ξ ),
Electron–phonon interaction takes place in the metal-
(17b)
lic film and we describe it by the deformation potential
Hamiltonian [14],
−1 −1
Z where f (x) = (ex + 1) and n(x) = (ex − 1) are the
2 Fermi and Bose distributions, respectively. Using the iden-
Hdef = EF d3 r Ψ † (r)Ψ (r)∇ · u(r), (13)
3 Vel =A×d
tity f (x)[1 − f (x − y)] = n(y)[f (x − y) − f (x)] and taking
Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260 Page 5 of 17

into account the δ functions in equation (17) we obtain [5] and

em ab
Γξ,n,n 0 (kk ; kk − qk , qk ) − Γξ,n,n0 (kk − qk ; kk , qk ) 0 8~EF2
n ,n 2
|ga,q | = |Na |2 [pt qk (qk2 − p2l )]2
2π n0 ,n 2 k
9ρωa
= |g | [f (βe kk −qk ,n0 ) − f (βe kk ,n )]
~ ξ,qk × sinh2 (Lpt /2)S(n0 , n, a, pl ), (22b)
×[n(βe qk ,ξ ) − n(βph qk ,ξ )], (18)

so we can write in an obvious way where

2
P ≡ P (0) (Te ) − P (1) (Te , Tph ).

(19)  L/2
 Z 

0 ∗
S(n , n, s, pl ) =  φn0 (z)φn (z) cosh(zpl ) dz  (23a)
 
Since we are interested in the low temperature limit, we  
restrict ourselves to ξ = (s, 0) and ξ = (a, 0) only, as stated L/2−d 
above.
and
3 The long wavelength approximation
 2
 L/2
 Z 
We work at long wavelengths (qk L  1), so we expand all 
S(n0 , n, a, pl ) =  φ∗n0 (z)φn (z) sinh(zpl ) dz  . (23b)
 
the quantities related to the phonons properties in Taylor  
series around qk = 0. From equations (7a) and (7b) one L/2−d 
obtains [5]
√ In the long wavelength limit, equations (23) are [5]
qt,s ≈ qk 3 − 4J, (20a)
pl,s ≈ qk (1 − 2J), (20b)
√ p S(n1 , n2 , s, ω) ≈ 1, if n1 − n2 = 0 (24a)
ωs ≈ 2qk ct 1 − J = 2qk cl J(1 − J), (20c) 4 4
ω d (1 − 2J) 4
≈
Ns−2 ≈ 16qk6 (3 − 4J)(1 − J)2 , (20d) 16π 4 c4l J 2 (1 − J)2
 2
1 1
and × − ,
(n1 − n2 )2 (n1 + n2 )2
L2

2J(1 − J) if n1 − n2 = 2m (24b)
pl,a ≈ qk 1 − J(1 − J)qk2 +
6 9 4 2 2
ω (L − d/2) d (1 − 2J) 4
  4 ) ≈
4π 4 c4l J 2 (1 − J)2

27 − 20J L
× − J(1 − J) qk4 , (21a) 2
5 2

1 1
× − ,

L2 2(1 − J) (n1 − n2 )2 (n1 + n2 )2
pt,a ≈ qk 1 − (1 − J)qk2 + if n1 − n2 = 2m + 1, (24c)
6 9
   4 )
27 − 20J) L
× − (1 − J) qk4 , (21b) whereas
5 2
r √
L2
 
1−J 2 3 1 (L − d)2
ωa ≈ ct L qk 1 − (27 − 20J)qk2 , (21c) S(n1 , n2 , a, ω) ≈ ω,
3 120
p
4 cl J(1 − J) L
2
(1 − J) if n1 − n2 = 0 (25a)
Na−2 ≈ qk12 L6 . (21d) √
36 9 3 d4 (L − d)2
≈ ω3
We observe that in order to obtain the lowest nonzero 4π 4 L3 c3l [J(1 − J)]3/2
term in the Taylor expansion of Ns we needed only the  2
1 1
first order terms in the expansions of qt,s and pl,s , whereas × − ,
to obtain the first nonzero term in the expansion of Na (n1 − n2 )2 (n1 + n2 )2
we need the expansions of pl,a and pt,a up to the order qk5 . if n1 − n2 = 2m (25b)
√
Using equations (10), (12), (20), and (21) one obtains 4 3 d 2
[5] ≈ 4 p ω
π J(1 − J)Lcl
2
8~EF2

0
n ,n 2 1 1
|gs,q | = |Ns |2 [qt qk (qk2 − p2l )]2 × − ,
k
9ρωs (n1 − n2 )2 (n1 + n2 )2
2 0
× cos (Lqt /2)S(n , n, s, pl ) (22a) if n1 − n2 = 2m + 1 (25c)
Page 6 of 17 Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260

where
"
0 2me J(1 − J)c2l
δ(s)
n (n , ph ) = ph − 0n + 0n0
2ph
#2
2ph
+ ; (29)
me c2l 8J(1 − J)

(s)
in general we shall use the shorthand notations n and
(s)
δn , when this does not lead to confusions.
Taking the three cases (24a), (24b), and (24c), one
(0)
writes Ps as the sum of three terms [5]:

(0)
Fig. 2. P1s /Vel (Eqs. (30) and (31)) vs. Te and d for L = 100 me EF2 1 (0) (0) (0)
nm. Ps(0) = A (S + S2s + S3s )
36π Lρcl ~ (1 − J)2 1s
2 4 5

(0) (0) (0)

≡ P1s + P2s + P3s . (30)
4 The heat flux
(0) (0) (1) (0)
Let us now write P (0) ≡ Ps + Pa and P (1) ≡ Ps + P1s is due to intra-band scattering of electrons, whereas
(1) (0) (1) (0) (0)
Pa , where Ps and Ps are the contributions of the both, P2s and P3s , are contributions due to inter-band
(0) (1) (0) (0) (0)
symmetric phonon modes, whereas Pa and Pa are scattering. The terms S1s , S2s , and S3s are the summa-
the contributions of the antisymmetric phonon modes. tions and integrals taken separately from equation (26).
We shall work in the quasi-continuous approximation, For intra-band scattering we have
changing the summations over kk and qk into integrals.
XZ ∞ Z ∞
(0)
p
(0) S1s = 2cl 2me J(1 − J) dph de
4.1 Calculation of Ps 0 n
(s)
n
Using equations (20) and (22), together with equation (16) 2ph n(βe ph ) 
of [5], one obtains ×q f [βe (e − ph )] − f (βe e )
(s)
e − n (n, ph )
J XX ∞
Z ∞
2A ~EF2
Z
XZ ∞ x2ph
Ps(0) = 2 dkk kk dqk qk
p 7/2
π L 18ρc2l 1 − J 0 n 0 = 2cl 2me J(1 − J)(kB Te ) dxph xph
n 0
n 0 e −1
Z 2π
Z∞
dφ ω 2 S(n0 , n, s, ql )n(βe ph ) f [βe (k − ph )]
 
× dx 1
0 × √ (s)
x ex−(y−xn (n,xph ,Te ))−xph +1
−f (βe k ) δ(k−q|| − k + ~ωs ). (26) 0

1
0 − , (31)
If we define kz1 ≡ kz (n) and kz2 ≡ kz (n ), then the energy e
(s)
x−(y−xn (n,xph ,Te )) +1
conservation relation (which gives two values for the angle
φ) is
(s)
where xph = βe ph , xe = βe e , xn = βe 0n , xn (n0 , xph , Te )
2
~ (kk2 + 2
kz1 ) (s) (s)
= βe n (n0 , ph ), y = βe F , x = xe − xn (n0 , xph , Te ), and
0=
2me
~2 (kk2 + qk2 − 2kk qk cos φ + kz2
2
) 2me c2l J(1 − J)
− − ~ωs . (27) y − x(s)
n (n, xph , Te ) = y − xn −
2me kB Te
 2
kB Te xph
We change the variables in equation (26) into electron and × 1+ . (32)
phonon energies and denote them by ph ≡ ~ωqk ,s,0 and 8me c2l J(1 − J)
e ≡ kk ,n ≥ 0,n . The energy conservation imposes extra
constraints on the electron energy, such that the lower From equations (31) and (32) one calculates P1s (Te ),
(0)
limit increases from 0,n to which is plotted in Figure 2 (see also [5]). We observe
the sharp crests formed in narrow d intervals, which cor-
0 (s) 0
(s)
n (n , ph ) = 0n + δn (n , ph ) (28) respond to EF ≈ nF , as explained in Appendix A. In the
Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260 Page 7 of 17

(0) (0)
Fig. 3. P2s /Vel and P3s /Vel , for comparison with P1s (Fig. 2) and P1a (Fig. 4). Both plots are calculated for L = 100 nm.

(0)
regions between the crests [5], For S3s we have
s
(0) 3/2 n0 −n=2k+1
P1s π 2 me EF2 J Z ∞ Z ∞ Z 2π
≈ (kB Te )4 √ (0)
X
S3s = dph de dφ 3ph
A 135 2 ~5 Lρc3l (1 − J)3 0 1 0
n0 ,n
nF
X 1 0

×S(n , n, s, ql )n(βe ph ) f [βe (e − ph )] − f (βe e )

× √ . (33)
n=1
EF − n ×δ(kk −qk ,n − kk ,n0 + ph )
√
(L − d/2)2 d2 2me (1 − 2J)4
On the crests the heat flux may increase by more than one = (kB Te )15/2
2π 4 ~4 c3l [J(1 − J)]3/2
order of magnitude. 0
The contribution coming from the electrons which are X n −n=2k+1
X 
1 1
2
scattered between sub-bands of indexes that differ by a × − 0
(n0 − n)2 (n + n)2
nonzero even integer (n0 − n = 2k 6= 0) is (see Eq. (24b)) n0 n
"
dxph x6ph ∞ dx
Z ∞ Z
1
0 × xph − 1
√ (s)
(0)
X n −n=2k
X Z ∞ Z ∞ Z 2π 0 e 0 x e x−(y−xn 0 )−xph
+1
S2s = dph de dφ 3ph #
n0 n 0 1 0 1
− , (36)
×S(n0 , n, s, ql )n(βe ph ) f [βe (e − ph )] − f (βe e )
 (s)
x−(y−xn0 )
e +1
×δ(kk −qk ,n − kk ,n0 + ph )
√ 0
X n −n=2k
(s) (s)
where, again, xn0 ≡ xn0 (n, xph , Te ). P2s and P3s are
(0) (0)
2me d4 (1 − 2J)4 15/2
X
= 4 4 3 3/2
(k B T ) plotted in Figure 3. Comparing these plots with Figure 2
8π ~ cl [J(1 − J)] (0) (0)
n0 n we see that S2s and S3s practically do not contribute to
2 Z ∞ 6
xph dxph ∞ dx (0)
 Z
1 1 P .
× − 0 √
(n0 − n)2 (n + n)2 0 exph − 1 0 x
( )
1 1 4.2 Calculation of Pa
(0)
× (s)
− (s)
, (34)
x−(y−xn0 )−xph x−(y−xn0 )
e +1 e +1
The expression for the heat flux corresponding to the
antisymmetric modes [5] may be written as
(s) (s)
where xn0 ≡ xn0 (n, xph , Te ) and
2A me EF2 J XXZ ∞ Z ∞
Pa(0) = d e dph ph
(s) 2me c2l J(1 − J) 3π 2 L3 ρc2l ~3 (1 − J) 0 n 0n 0
y − xn0 = y − xn0 − βe n
x2ph Z 2π
dφ S(n0 , n, a, ql )n(βe ph ) f [βe (k − ph )]

" #2 ×
kB Te x2ph 0
× xph − xn0 + xn + . (35)
8me c2l J(1 − J)

−f (βe k ) δ(kk −qk − k + ~ωa ). (37)
Page 8 of 17 Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260

(0)
Pa may be decomposed into three terms, corresponding
to equations (25a), (25b), and (25c), respectively [5]:

2A me EF2 J (0) (0) (0)

Pa(0) = (S + S2a + S3a )
3π 2 L3 ρc2l ~3 (1 − J) 1a
(0) (0) (0)
≡ P1a + P2a + P3a . (38)

For the intra-band transitions we have

1/4
(L − d)2
r 
(0) 1 me 3
S1a = 3
√ (kB Te )3
2 2~ J(1 − J) cl L
X Z ∞ dxph x3/2 ph
Z ∞
dx
× xph − 1
√
0 e 0 x
n0
(
(0)
1 Fig. 4. P1a /Vel (see Eqs. (38) and (39)) vs. Te and d for
× (a) L = 100 nm.
x−(y−xn0 (n0 ,xph ))−xph
e +1
)
1
− (a)
, (39) whereas on the crests the heat power may increase by more
x−(y−xn0 (n0 ,xph )) than one order of magnitude and is not proportional, in
e +1
general, to a single power of Te .
where the variables for the antisymmetric modes are Using equations (25b) and (25c) we write
1/4
d4 (L − d)2
r 
9 me 3
r (
(a) me Lcl J(1 − J) 1 (0)
S2a =
n0 (n, ph ) ≡ n0 + n − n0 2π 4 2~7 (Lcl )5/2 J(1 − J) J(1 − J)
2~ 3 ph
0
n −n=2k
X  2
" s #)2 1 1
~ 3 × −
+ph 1+ 0
(n0 − n)2 (n0 + n)2
2me Lcl J(1 − J) n ,n
∞ 7/2 ∞
dxph xph
Z Z
(a)
≡ n0 + δn0 (n, ph ), dx
×(kB Te )5 √
0 exph −1 0 x
(
(a) (a)
xn0 (n, xph ) ≡ βe n0 (n, ph ), and 1
× (a)
ex−(y−xn0 (n,xph ))−xph
+1
(a) (a)
δxn0 (n, xph ) = βe δn0 (n, ph ) )
1
− (42)
r (
me Lcl J(1 − J) (a)
x−(y−xn0 (n,xph ))
= xn − xn0 + xph e +1
2~xph 3
" s #)2 and
~ 3 √ r
× 1+ . (40)  1/4 2
2me Lcl J(1 − J) (0) 4 2 me 3 d
S3a = 4 √ (kB Te )3
π ~3 J(1 − J) Lcl
We note that in the case of scattering on the antisymmet- n0 −n=2k+1  2
(a)
X 1 1
ric modes, δxn0 (n, xph ) depends on Te only through xn , × − 0
(n0 − n)2 (n + n)2
xn0 , and xph . 0 n ,n
(0) 3/2
The function P1a /Vel is plotted in Figure 4. We Z ∞ dxph xph
Z ∞
dx
notice similar crests as in Figure 2, which correspond × √
exph −1 x
to EF ≈ nF [5]. The nature of these crests is discussed "0 0
in Appendix B. In the regions between the crests, the 1
thermal power is described by × (a)
x−(y−xn0 (n,xph ))−xph
e +1
#
(0)   3/2 2
1
P1a 31/4 5 7 me EF (L − d)2 J 3/4 − . (43)
= √ ζ 5/2 5/4 (a)
x−(y−xn0 (n,xph ))
A 8 2π 3/2 2 ~9/2 ρc L7/2 (1 − J) l
e +1
n≤nnF
X 1 (0) (0)
The functions P2a and P3a are plotted in Figure 5 and
×(kB Te )7/2 √ , (41)
n
E F − n we see that they do not practically contribute to the total
Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260 Page 9 of 17

(0) (0) (0) (0)

Fig. 5. P2a /Vel and P3a /Vel , for comparison with P1s /Vel (Fig. 2) and P1a /Vel (Fig. 4). Both plots are calculated for L = 100
nm.

7/2 (0) (0)

to Te . Along the crests, both, Pa and Ps , may con-
tribute substantially and there is no simple temperature
dependence of P (0) .

(1)
4.3 Calculation of Ps
The heat power P (1) from phonon to electrons is calcu-
lated as P (0) , with the exception that in the integrals over
ph one should use a Bose distribution corresponding to
the temperature Tph instead of Te . As in Section 4.1, we
write [5]

me EF2 1 (1) (1) (1)

Ps(1) = A (S + S2s + S3s )
36π 2 Lρc4l ~5 (1 − J)2 1s
(1) (1) (1)
≡ P1s + P2s + P3s , (45)
Fig. 6. P (0) /Vel for L = 100 nm.
where

XZ ∞
(1)
p
heat power. Adding all the contributions from (30) and S1s = 2cl 2me J(1 − J) dph
(38), we obtain the total heat power P (0) emitted from n0 0

the electrons into the phonons system, which is plotted in Z ∞ 2ph n(βph ph )
Figure 6. × de q
(s) (s)
From equations (33) and (41) we obtain n0 e − n0 (n0 , ph )

× f [βe (e − ph )] − f (βe e )
(0)
31/4 675
 
P1a 7
p
= (kB Te )−1/2 ζ = 2cl 2me J(1 − J)(kB Te )7/2
(0) 8π 7/2 2
P1s Z∞
XZ ∞ x2ph dx
1/2
~1/2 (L − d)2 cl J 1/4 (1 − J)1/4 × dxph txph √
× , (44) 0 e −1 x
n0
L5/2 (
0

1
(0) × (s)
so, in the low temperature limit, P1a is the dominant x−(y−xn0 (n0 ,xph ,Te ))−xph
e +1
term in the total heat flux and determines its temperature )
dependence. Therefore, in this limit, P (0) is described by 1
− (s)
(46)
equation (41) between the crests and it is proportional e x−(y−xn0 (n0 ,xph ,Te ))
+1
Page 10 of 17 Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260

indexes that differ by an odd integer (24c) is

n0 −n=2k+1
X Z ∞ Z ∞ Z 2π
(1)
S3s = dph de dφ 3ph S(n0 , n, s, ql )
n0 ,n 0 1 0

×n(βph ph ) f [βe (e − ph )] − f (βe e )
×δ(kk −qk ,n − kk ,n0 + ph )
√
(L − d/2)2 d2 2me (1 − 2J)4
= (kB Te )15/2
2π 4 ~4 c3l [J(1 − J)]3/2
0
X n −n=2k+1
X 
1 1
2
× −
(n0 − n)2 (n0 + n)2
n0 n
"
dxph x6ph ∞ dxe
Z ∞ Z
1
× txph − 1
√ (s)
0 e 0 x e x−(y−x n0
)−xph
+1
(1)
Fig. 7. P1s /Vel (Eqs. (30) and (31)) vs. Te and d. #
1
− (s)
.
ex−(y−xn0 ) + 1
and t = Te /Tph , and all the other quantities are the same
as in Section 4.1. (1) (1)
(1) Like in the case of P (0) , the terms P2s and P3s do not
From equations (46) we calculate P1s (Te ), which is (1)
contribute significantly to Ps .
plotted in Figure 7 as a function of Te and d. We observe
very sharp crests forming in narrow d intervals, which cor-
(1)
respond to EF ≈ nF , as explained in Appendix C. In the 4.4 Calculation of Pa
regions between the crests,
For the antisymmetric modes we have
(1) 3/2
P1s π 2 me EF2 J 1/2 2A me EF2
= (kB Tph )4 √
Pa(1) =
J (1) (1) (1)
(S + S2a + S3a )
A 135 2 ~5 ρc3l L (1 − J)3/2 3π L ρcl ~ (1 − J) 1a
2 3 2 3
n F
X 1 (1) (1) (1)
× √ , (47) ≡ P1a + P2a + P3a , (48)
n=1
E F − n
where
whereas on the crests the heat power may increase by 1/4
(L − d)2
r 
more than one order of magnitude and is not described (1) 1 me 3
by a simple power law. S1a = 3
√ (kB Te )3
2 2~ J(1 − J) cl L
The contribution coming from the electrons which are
scattered between sub-bands of indexes that differ by an X Z ∞ dxph x3/2 ph
Z ∞
dx
× √
even integer (n0 − n = 2k) is (see Eq. (24b)) 0 e txph − 1
0 x
n0
(
0 1
(1)
X n −n=2k
X Z ∞ Z ∞ Z 2π ×
dφ 3ph
(a) 0
S2s = dph de ex−(y−xn0 (n ,xph ))−xph + 1
n0 n 0 1 0 )
1
×S(n0 , n, s, ql )n(βph ph ) f [βe (e − ph )]

− (a) 0
. (49)

−f (βe e ) δ(kk −qk ,n − kk ,n0 + ph ) ex−(y−xn0 (n ,xph )) + 1
√ 0
X n −n=2k The variables are the same as before.
2me d4 (1 − 2J)4 15/2
X
= 4 4 3 3/2
(kB T ) The function P1a /Vel is plotted in Figure 8 and we
8π ~ cl [J(1 − J)]
n0 n notice similar crests as in Figure 7. The nature of these

1 1
2 Z ∞ 6
xph dxph ∞ dx
Z crests is studied in Appendix D. In the regions between
× − 0 √ the crests,
(n0 − n)2 (n − n)2 0 e
txph − 1
0 x
( )
1 1 (1)   3/2 2
× − P1a 31/4 5 7 me EF (L − d)2
(s)
x−(y−xn0 )−xph
(s)
x−(y−xn0 )
≈ (kB Tph )7/2 √ ζ 5/2
e +1 e +1 A 8 2π 3/2 2 ~9/2 ρc L7/2 l
n≤nnF
3/4
whereas the contribution from the processes correspond- J X 1
× √ , (50)
ing to the scattering of electrons between sub-bands of (1 − J)5/4 n
EF − n
Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260 Page 11 of 17

(1)
Fig. 8. P1a /Vel vs. Te and d. Fig. 9. Total power flux per unit volume P (1) /Vel from the
phonon system into the electron system for L = 100 nm.

whereas on the crests the heat power may increase by

more than one order of magnitude and is not described results together, one obtains for the intervals between the
by a simple power law. crests [5]
The other summations of equation (48) are
1/4 P (Te , Tph ) = Vel Σ(Te3.5 − Tph
3.5
), (53a)
d4 (L − d)2
r 
(1) 9 me 3
S2a =
2π 4 2~7 (Lcl )5/2 J(1 − J) J(1 − J) where
0
n −n=2k
X  2
1 1   3/2 2
× − 0 (kB Te )5 31/4 5 7 me EF (L − d)2 J 3/4
(n0 − n)2 (n + n)2 Σ= √ ζ 5/2 5/4
2 ~9/2 ρc L7/2 (1 − J)
0 n ,n 8 2π 3/2 l
∞ 7/2 ∞
dxph xph
Z Z 
dx 1 n≤nnF
× √ X 1
etxph − 1 0
0 x
0
ex−(y−x1 )−xph + 1 × √ (53b)
 n
E F − n
1
− x−(y−x0 ) (51)
e 1 + 1
5 Conclusions
and
√ r We explicitly calculated the contribution to the electron–
1/4 2
phonon heat flux due to the processes in which the

(1) 4 2 me 3 d
S3a = 4 √ (kB Te )3 electrons are scattered between different sub-bands (inter-
π ~3 J(1 − J) Lcl
band electron scattering). We saw that at low tempera-
n0 −n=2k+1 2
tures this contribution (Figs. 3 and 5) is many orders of

X 1 1
× − 0 magnitude smaller than the heat flux due to the processes
0
(n0 − n)2 (n − n)2
n ,n in which the electrons are scattered within the same sub-
Z ∞ dxph xph
3/2 Z ∞ band (intra-band electron scattering – see Fig. 6). It is,
dx
× √ however, to be expected that at higher temperatures the
etxph −1 x inter-band scattering contribution will increase substan-
0 0

1 1 tially. This higher temperature range implies a cross-over
× 0 − 0 , (52) from quasi-2D to bulk behavior not just of the phonon
ex−(y−x1 )−xph + 1 ex−(y−x1 ) + 1
sub-system, but of the electronic sub-system as well.
but they do not contribute significantly to the total heat In the case considered here, i.e. when the electrons spec-
power, as in the case of the symmetric modes. Adding all trum is divided into sub-bands, the heat power obey in
the contributions to P (1) , we obtain the total heat power general the power-law behavior P ∝ Te3.5 − Tph 3.5
, which
from the phonons system to the electrons system, which does not confirm the expected trend given by the formula
s+2
is plotted in Figure 9. P ∝ Tes+2 − Tph , where s = 2 is the dimensionality of
(1) (1)
As expected, the ratio P1a /P1s has the same expres- the phonon gas [2]. In fact, such a significantly weaker
(0) (0)
sion (44) as P1a /P1s , which implies that in the low dependence on temperature of the electron–phonon heat
(1) exchange in a metallic film, if observed experimentally,
temperature limit P1a has the dominant contribution to may be indicative of the onset of the QW state. This unex-
7/2
P (1) and between the crests P (1) ∝ Tph . Putting all these pected behavior sets the case of electron–phonon coupling
Page 12 of 17 Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260

in thin films out of the “dimensional trend” and can open the integral over x,
new possibilities for their applications. Z ∞ 
Furthermore, P , when plotted as a function of metal- dx 1
lic film thickness d, for arbitrary temperatures Te and I1 (yn0 , xph ) ≡ √ 0
0 x ex−yn −xph +1
Tph , forms sharp crests, as we can see, for example, in 
1
Figures 6 and 9. The physical origin of the “ridged land- − 0 , (A.4)
scapes” obtained in the plots P (d, Te ) and P (d, Tph ) is ex−yn + 1
the crossing of the Ferni level by the bottoms of electronic
sub-bands, driven by the change in the metallic film thick- which is the difference between two polylogarithms:
ness. Due to their small widths, these crests are difficult  h
to investigate numerically or to plot them with enough 1  0

I1 (yn0 , xph ) = Γ −Li1/2 −eyn +xph
accuracy. For this reason, we derived in the appendices 2
general expressions in dimensionless variables (as much  0
i
as possible) and from these expressions we calculated the +Li1/2 −eyn . (A.5)
maxima, as well as asymptotic analytic expressions for
special ranges of parameters. Detailed formulae for the The polylogarithm of order r is defined as [15–17]
heat flux were also given for all the situations of interest.
∞
xr dx
Z
We have demonstrated that in ultra-thin metal films, 1
aside from a general enhancement of the heat exchange Lir (ξ) ≡ . (A.6)
Γ (r) 0 ξex − 1
between electrons and the crystal lattice, one can also
achieve a control over the variation of this exchange in a 0
If ξ ≡ −e−yn and yn0  1, then we can use the expansion
large interval. This possibility may turn useful for engi-
neering of thermoelectric properties and heat fluxes in 0 (yn0 )r

π 2 r(r − 1)

nanoelectronic devices. Lir (−eyn ) ≈ 1+ (A.7)
Γ (r + 1) 6 (yn0 )2
Financial support from the Romnian ANCS project PN
16420101 and from the Romania-JINR collaboration projects, to calculate an asymptotic expression for I1 (yn0 , xph ). Due
−1
JINR Order 220/10.04.2017, positions 18, 19, 21, 22 are to the Bose distribution (exph − 1) , xph is of the order
gratefully acknowledged. one, so, plugging (A.7) into (A.4), we get

Author contribution statement xph 1 x2ph

I1 (yn0 , xph ) ≈ p − . (A.8)
yn0 4 (yn0 )3/2
Both authors contributed equally to the writing of the
paper, the analytical calculations, and the interpretation Using the first term (the highest order of approximation)
of the results. The numerical calculations and the compu- from (A.8), we obtain
ter codes needed for these calculations were done by DVA.
∞ x3ph
Z
1
(0) IS (0) (yn , Te ) ≈ √ dxph
Appendix A: The contribution P1s 1s yn 0 (exph − 1)
4
π 1
(0) = √ . (A.9)
Let’s analyze in more detail the term P1s . From equation 15 yn
(30) we have
To calculate IS (0) in the opposite limit, when yn  −1,
1s
(0) me EF2 1 (0) we fist rewrite equation (A.3) as
P1s =A S , (A.1)
36π Lρcl ~ (1 − J)2 1s
2 4 5
Z ∞
dx 1
where IS (0) (yn , Te ) = √ x−y0
1s
0 x e n + 1

dxph x2ph
(0)
p Z ∞
S1s (y, Te ) = 2cl 2me J(1 − J)(kB Te )7/2 × . (A.10)
0
X exph +yn −x + 1
× IS (0) (y − x(s)
n ), (A.2) 0
1s
n
Since −yn0 + x ≥ −yn0  1, we can use again the approxi-
∞ dxph x2ph ∞ dx
Z Z 
1 mation (A.7) and obtain
IS (0) (yn , Te ) = √ 0
1s
0 exph − 1 0 x ex−yn −xph + 1 √
 π
1
− x−y0 , (A.3) IS (0) (yn , Te ) ≈ |yn |3 eyn . (A.11)
e n +1
1s 3
Due to the exponential dependence of IS (0) on yn = y −
(s) (s) (s)
y = βe F , xn ≡ xn (n, xph , Te ) ≡ βe n (n0 , ph ) (see Eq. 1s
xn  −1, we can neglect the terms corresponding to n >
(s)
(32)), yn0 ≡ y − xn , and yn ≡ y − xn . We take separately nF + 1 from the summation (A.2).
Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260 Page 13 of 17

Fig. A.1. (a) ymax vs. Te , (b) IS (0) (ymax ) vs. Te and (c) IS (0) [y − ymax (Te )] for Te = 0.1 K (blue curve) and Te = 0.2 K (red
1s 1s
curve); the two curves in (c) are indistinguishable (though, not identical).

(s) (s)
In the situation when y − xn is of the order one, we when y − xnF & 0 and the approximation (A.9) does not
can use neither approximations (A.9) nor (A.11) and we hold for IS (0) (y − xnF , Te ). Second,
1s
have to evaluate equation (A.3) explicitly. In Figure A.1
c we see that IS (0) forms a maximum at y = ymax (Te ). In
1s
Figure A.1 a we plot ymax − xnF vs. Te and we see a rapid (0) 2π 4 p
increase toward lower temperatures, due to the difference S1s ≈ cl 2me J(1 − J)(kB Te )4
(s)
15
xnF − xnF ∝ Te−1 (see Eq. (32)). Finally, in Figure A.1b XnF
1
we see that IS (0) [ymax (Te )] takes values in a small interval × √ , (A.12b)
1s
n=1
E F − n
around 4.57.
Putting all the results from this section together, we
conclude that the summation over n in equation (A.2) (s) (s)
should be taken only up to n = nF or nF + 1 and we may when y − xnF  1 and y − xnF +1  −1. Finally, in the
have three situations. First, third case,

F −1
( nX
( nF
(0)
p π4 1 (0) π4 X 1
(kB Te )4
p
S1s ≈ 2cl 2me J(1 − J) √ S1s ≈ 2cl 2me J(1 − J) (kB Te )4 √
15 n=1
EF − n 15 EF − n
n=1
) )
(s)
+(kB Te )7/2 IS (0) (y − xnF , Te ) , (A.12a) +(kB Te )7/2 IS (0) (y − xnF +1 , Te ) , (A.12c)
1s 1s
Page 14 of 17 Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260

(s)
when y − xnF +1 . 0 and IS (0) (y − xnF +1 , Te ) is not neg-
1s
ligible as compared to the whole summation in (A.2). We
say that in cases (A.12a) and (A.12c) we are in the crests
(0) (0)
regions of P1s , whereas in case (A.12b) P1s ∝ Te4 is in
the “valley” region. At the maximum point,
( nF
(0)
p π4 X 1
S1s ≈ 2cl 2me J(1 − J) (kB Te )4 √
15 n=1
E F − n
)
+(kB Te )7/2 IS (0) [ymax (Te ) − xnF , Te ] . (A.12d)
1s

(0)
Appendix B: The contribution P1a
From equations (38) and (39) we write
Fig. B.1. IS (0) vs. yn has a maximum I max
(0) ≈ 2.13 at yn =
1a S1a

2A me EF2 J ymax ≈ 5.60.

(0) (0)
P1a = S , (B.1)
3π 2 L3 ρc2l ~3 (1 − J) 1a
1/4
(L − d)2
r 
(0) 1 me 3 where ζ(3.5) ≈ 1.13 is the Riemann’s zeta function. If y 
S1a = √ (kB Te )3
3
2 2~ J(1 − J) cl L −1, IS (0) (y) decays exponentially with y (as shown in the
1a
(a)
X
× IS (0) (y − xn ), (B.2) previous section) and therefore the terms IS (0) (y − xn )
1a 1a
n with n > nF + 1 will be omitted from the summation
(B.3). The summation extends up to nF or nF + 1 and
where we have again three cases, like in equations (A.12):
∞ 3/2 ∞
dxph xph
Z Z 
dx 1 1/4 (
(L − d)2
r
√

IS (0) (yn ) = (0) 1 me 3
(kB Te )3 IS (0)
0
1a
0 exph −1 0 x ex−yn −xph +1 S1a ≈ √
 2 2~3 J(1 − J) cl L 1a
1 √  
− 0 ; (B.3) 15 π 7
ex−yn +1 ×(y − xnF ) + (kB Te )7/2 ζ
8 2
(a) n<nnF
in this section yn0 = y − xn and we shall use the simplified
)
X 1
notation × √ (B.6a)
n
E F − n
r
(a) (a) me Lcl J(1 − J)
xn ≡ xn (n, xph ) = xn + xph when y − xnF ≥ 0 and the approximation (B.5) does not
2~ 3
" s #2 hold for IS (0) (y − xnF ),
1s
~ 3
× 1+ . (B.4)
2me Lcl J(1 − J) √  r 1/4
(L − d)2

(0) 15 π 7 me 3
S1a ≈ ζ 3
√
We observe that the integral over x in (B.3) is similar 16 2 2~ J(1 − J) cl L
to that of equation (A.3), provided that we use the new n≤nnF
7/2
X 1
(a)
definition of yn0 . In this case xn depends on the variables ×(kB Te ) √ (B.6b)
(s) n
EF − n
n and xph , but not explicitly on Te , like xn (n, xph , Te ).
Therefore IS (0) (y) has a shape which is independent of (a) (a)
1a
when y − xnF  1 and y − xnF +1  −1, and, finally,
Te (see Fig. B.1) with a maximum I max (0) ≈ 2.13 at yn =
S1a
ymax ≈ 5.60. 1/4 (
(L − d)2
r 
If y  ymax we can use the approximation (A.8) to (0) 1 me 3
S1a ≈ √ (kB Te )3 IS (0)
write 2 2~3 J(1 − J) cl L 1a

√  
Z ∞ 5/2 15 π 7
1 dxph xph ×(y − xnF ) + (kB Te )7/2 ζ
IS (0) (y − xn ) ≈ √ 8 2
1a y − xn 0 exph − 1
√   n≤n
)
XF 1
15 π 7 1 × √ , (B.6c)
= ζ √ , (B.5) EF − n
8 2 y − xn n
Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260 Page 15 of 17

Fig. C.1. (a) ymax − xnF vs. Te and (b) IS (1) (ymax ) vs. Te for Tph = 0.2 K.
1s

when y − xnF +1 < 0 and IS (0) (y − xnF +1 ) is not negligible therefore we neglect all terms with n > nF + 1 from the
1s
as compared to the whole summation in (B.2). summation (A.2). The summation extends up to nF or
The cases (B.6a) and (B.6c) correspond to crests regions nF + 1 and we may have three situations, as before:
of Figure 4, whereas the case (B.6b) corresponds to the
valley regions.
F −1
( nX
(1)
p π4 1
(1) S1s ≈ 2cl 2me J(1 − J) (kB Tph )4 √
Appendix C: The contribution P1s 15 n=1
EF − n
)
From equations (45) and (46) we have +(kB Te )7/2 IS (0) (y − xnF ) , (C.5a)
1s

(1) me EF2 1 (1)

P1s = A S , (C.1)
36π Lρcl ~ (1 − J)2 1s
2 4 5
when the approximation (C.4) does not hold for IS (1) (y −
1s
where xnF , Te ) and the last term is not negligible,
(1)
p
S1s (y, Te , Tph ) = 2cl 2me J(1 − J)(kB Te )7/2
X
× IS (1) (y − xn , Te , Te /Tph ), (C.2) (1) 2π 4 p
1s S1s ≈ cl 2me J(1 − J)(kB Tph )4
n 15
nF
∞ dx x2ph ∞ dx
Z Z 
ph 1 X 1
IS (1) (yn , Te , t) = tx
√ x−y 0 −x × √ , (C.5b)
1s
0 e ph−1 0 x e n ph + 1
EF − n
 n=1
1
− x−y0 , (C.3)
e n +1
(s)
when y − xnF  1, y − xnF +1  −1, and approximation
with similar notations as in Appendix A and t ≡ Te /Tph . (C.4) holds for any n ≤ nF , and, finally,
From equation (C.3) and using the results of Appendix A
(s)
we obtain in the limit y − xn  1, ( nF
(1)
p π4 X 1
1
Z ∞ x3ph S1s ≈ 2cl 2me J(1 − J) (kB Tph )4 √
IS (1) (yn , Te , t) ≈ √ dxph txph 15 n=1
E F − n
1s y 0 (e − 1) )
4
π 1 +(kB Te )7/2 IS (1) (y − xnF +1 ) , (C.5c)
= 4 √ . (C.4) 1s
15 t y

If yn0 in equation (C.3) is of the order 1 (positive or

negative), then we evaluate equation (C.3) explicitly. Tak-
ing Tph = 0.2, IS (1) (yn , Te , Te /Tph ) forms a maximum at
1s
yn = ymax (Te ) − xnF (see Fig. C.1).
In the limit y  −1, IS (1) (y, Te , Te /Tph ) decays expo-
1s
nentially with y, as we showed in Appendix A, and
when y − xnF +1 < 0 is of the order one and IS (1) (y −
1s
xnF +1 , Te ) is not negligible as compared to the whole sum-
mation in (A.2). Equations (C.5a) and (C.5c) describe the
(1) 4
crests regions of P1s , whereas in case (C.5b) P1s ∝ Tph
and represents the valley regions.
Page 16 of 17 Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260

Fig. D.1. (a) ymax − xnF vs. Te and (b) IS (1) (ymax ) vs. Te for Tph = 0.2 K.
1s

(1) The summation (D.2) extends up to nF or nF + 1 and

Appendix D: The contribution P1a
we have again three cases, like in equations (A.12):
From equations (48) and (49) we write 1/4 (
(L − d)2
r 
(1) 1 me 3
S1a ≈ √ (kB Te )3 IS (1)
(1) 2A me EF2 J (1) 2 2~3 J(1 − J) cl L 1a
P1a = S , (D.1) √  
3π 2 L3 ρc2l ~3 (1 − J) 1a 15 π 7
1/4 ×(y − xnF ) + (kB Tph )7/2 ζ
(L − d)2
r
8 2

(1) 1 me 3
S1a = 3
√ (kB Te )3 n<nnF
2 2~ J(1 − J) cl L
)
X 1
X × √ (D.5a)
× IS (1) (y − x(a)
n , Te /Tph ), (D.2) E F − n
1a n
n

when the approximation (D.4) does not hold for

where IS (1) (ynF , Te , t),
1s

∞ dx 3/2 ∞
ph xph √  r
Z Z 
dx 1 1/4
IS (1) (yn0 , t) = (L − d)2

√ (1) 15 π 7 me 3
1a
0 etxph − 1 0 x
0
ex−yn −xph +1 S1a ≈ ζ √
 16 2 2~3 J(1 − J) cl L
1 n≤nnF
− 0 (D.3) 1
ex−yn + 1
X
×(kB Tph )7/2 √ (D.5b)
n
EF − n
and keeping the rest of the notations like in Appendices B
and C. IS (1) (y, t) has a maximum at yn0 = ymax , which when the approximation (D.4) holds for IS (1) (yn , Te , t)
1a 1s
is plotted in Figure D.1a, together with IS (1) (ymax , t) for any n ≤ nF , whereas IS (1) (ynF +1 , Te , t) is negligible.
1a 1s
(Fig. D.1b). If y  ymax we can use the approximation Finally,
(A.8) to write
1/4 (
(L − d)2
r 
(1) 1 me 3
Z ∞ 5/2 S1a ≈ √ (kB Te )3 IS (1)
1 dxph xph 2 2~3 J(1 − J) cl L 1a
IS (1) (yn0 , t) ≈ √  
yn0 0 etxph − 1
p
1a
15 π 7
√   ×(y − xnF ) + (kB Tph )7/2 ζ
15 π 7 1 8 2
= 7/2 ζ p . (D.4)
8t 2 yn0 n≤n
)
XF 1
× √ , (D.5c)
n
EF − n
If y  −1, IS (1) (y, t) decays exponentially and therefore
1a
(a)
the terms IS (1) (y − xn ) with n > nF + 1 will be omitted when IS (0) (y − xnF +1 , Te ) is not negligible as compared to
1a 1s
from the summation (D.3). the whole summation in (B.2).
Eur. Phys. J. B (2017) 90: 260
Equations (D.5a) and (D.5c) describe the crests regions
of Figure 4, whereas equation (D.5b) describe the valley
regions, where the heat power from phonons to electrons
3.5
is proportional to Tph .
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