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Electronic States in Amorphous Solids, Liquids, and Alloys

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Y. Bar-Yam
Affiliation:
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights NY 10598 MIT Dept. of Physics Cambridge MA 02139
J. D. Joannopoulos
Affiliation:
MIT Dept. of Physics Cambridge MA 02139
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Abstract

We describe elements of a thermodynamical ensemble theory of electronic states in a variety of disordered systems. Equilibrium energies and kinetics of phase space exploration combine to determiine the ensembles describing disordered systems. Electronic properties are then related to structural energies. This relationship serves to determine the distribution of electronic states present in real materials. Thus we obtain directly electronic properties without a need for detailed microscopic information about the diverse systems. Applications range from the Urbach edge to defect properties providing a unified understanding.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1987

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