Bound states of electrons in harmonic and anharmonic crystal lattices

Abstract

The pairing of electrons in harmonic and anharmonic one-dimensional lattices is studied with account of the electron-lattice interaction. It is shown that in harmonic lattices binding of electrons in a bound localized state called bisoliton, takes place. It is also shown that bisolitons in harmonic lattices can propagate with velocity below the velocity of the sound. Similarly, binding of electrons in singlet spin state, called bisolectron, takes place in anharmonic lattices. It is shown that the account of the lattice anharmonicity leads to the stabilization of bisolectron dynamics: bisolectrons are dynamically stable up to the sound velocity in lattices with cubic or quartic anharmonicities and can also be supersonic. They have finite values of energy and momentum in the whole interval of bisolectron velocities. The bisolectron binding energy and critical value of the Coulomb repulsion at which the bisolectron becomes unstable and decays into two independent solectrons, are calculated. The analytical results are in a good agreement with the results of numerical simulations in a broad interval of the parameter values.