Geometric theory of lattice vibrations and specific heat (Q851489)

The authors derive the Debye \(T^3\) law on the specific heat at low temperature rigorously from a geometric standpoint. They consider a crystal lattice which is supposed to be the equilibrium positions of atoms. Let the crystal lattice be invariant under the action of a lattice \( L \subset {\mathbb R^3}\). The displacements of atoms from the equilibrium positions are assumed to satisfy a certain equation of motion of second order. Then the internal energy is calculated using the irreducible decomposition of the regular representation of \( L \) on the \(L^2\) space over the crystal lattice points. Together with trace formulae, the integrated density of states at the bottom of the spectrum is derived. The standard argument in statistical mechanics for quantized lattice vibration yields the \( T^3 \) law.