Anomalous temperature and disorder dependences of electron-phonon scattering rate in impure V1-xAlx alloys

Abstract

Using weak-localization studies, we have measured the electron-phonon scattering time tau(ep) in a series of V1-xAlx alloys having the characteristic of ql<<1, where q is the wave number of the thermal phonons and l is the electron elastic mean free path. We find an anomalous electron-phonon scattering rate obeying a quadratic temperature dependence as well as a linear mean-free-path dependence, i.e., tau(ep)(-1)similar toT(2)l. This result cannot be explained in terms of existing theories for the electron-phonon interaction in impure conductors.