The <i>ψ</i>-function nodal surfaces and the conduction band of inert-gas crystals
Abstract
The outer electron is considered adiabatically with allowance for the permutation symmetry which leads to the expulsion of the electron from the inner region of the atom. The nodal surface of the ψ-function generated by the permutation symmetry enables a nonlocal adiabatic potential, with parameters determined by the atomic ionization potentials, to be constructed for the outer electron in the crystal. Because of the absence of long-range forces, in the case of inert-gas crystals the dispersion relation proves to be simple, thereby allowing the position of the band bottom, the deformation potential, and the effective mass to be calculated directly. It is shown that even a small nonlocality radically alters the character of the dependence of the effective mass on the radius of the inert atom.