KRONING-PENNEY MODEL:.

​By: Chandan kumar Department of Physics 

S N Sinha College Jehanabad Dated: July 09, 2020​. ​ he Kronig-Penney model
T
describes electron motion in a period array of rectangular barriers The Dirac-Kronig Penney model is a special case of
the Kronig-Penney model obtained by taking the limit ​b ​→ 0, ​V​0 →
​ ∞ but ​U​0 ≡
​ ​V​0​b ​finite. In this limit, each of the
rectangular barriers becomes a Dirac delta-function:

.​ The Schroedinger equation reads:

(1) Consider two segments: −​a < x < ​0 (I) and 0 ​< x < a ​(II). Since the
potential energy isequal to zero inside each of the segments, the corresponding wavefunctions are the linear
combinations of two plane waves

ψ​I ​(​x​) = A
​ e​iqx ​+ ​Be​−i​ qx​,

ψ​II ​(​x​) = C
​ e​iqx ​+ ​De​−​iqx (0.1)
with

.
The wavefunction must satisfy the Bloch theorem

ψ​(​x)​ = ​eika
​ ​ψ​(​x −
​ ​a​) (2)

If 0 ≤ ​x ≤​ ​a,​ this implies that or

FIG. 1: Top: Kronig-Penney model. Bottom: Dirac-Kronig-Penney model.​ ​ ​and ​e−​​ iqx ​are linearly
Since ​eiqx
independent functions, the coefficients in front of the ​e​ terms must match. This gives.
±​iqx ​
​C ​=
Ae​ikae​ −​ ​iqa;​ ​D =
​ ​Bei​ ka​e​iqa,​ .​ and the wavefunction ψ ​ ​II ​becomes. ​ψI​ I ​(​x​) = ​e​ika ​h​Ae​iq​(​x​−a​ ​) ​+

Be​−i​ q​(​x−​ ​a​)​i​. B

​ oundary conditions: 1) the wavefunction is continuous at ​x ​= 0 →
and 2) a discontinuity of the wavefunction at ​x ​= 0 is obtained by integrating the Schroedinger equation over a narrow
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interval (−​ε,ε​) around ​x ​= 0 Derivatives

.​Substituting derivatives back, we obtain a

2× 2 system for ​A a​ nd ​B .​In order to have a non-trivial

solution, the determinant must equal to zero→

Opening brackets and simplifying

yields (3). The combination is a dimensionless parameter of

the model ”measuring” the strength of the periodic potential. ​General Solution:​ Suppose
that ​U​0 >
​ ​
0 . Then the maximum value of the RHS, reached at ​qa ​= 0, larger than unity

where . For larger (in absolute value) ​qa,​ the RHS decreases and
oscillates. The LHS is bounded by unity: −1 ≤ cos​ka ​≤ 1. Therefore, a solution in real numbers for ​q i​ s possible only
within those intervals where the magnitude of the RHS is less than unity. The alternation of intervals of energies
corresponding to propagating states and exponentially decaying states is the characteristic feature of motion in a

periodic potential.

FIG. 2: Red: the RHS of Eq. (3) as a function of ​qa f​ or ​u ​= 10. Horizontal lines: bounds on cos(​ka​).​ ​Tight-Binding Limit:. 

When the strength of the potential is large, i.e, , ​the equation for the eigenergies allows for an analytic
solution. In this case, the right-hand-side can be expanded near zeroes of the sin​x/x ​function. The first zero of this
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​ π
function is at ​x = ​ , ​so we can choose. ​qa ​= π
​ ​− ​δ,.​ where |​δ​| ≪ 1 and expand in

δ. ​To first order, this yields

where

.​ It maybe noted that, by assumption of ​u ​≫ 1​, E​0 ≫

​ ​ otice also that
​t. N
E0​ ​is the energy of a free electron with wavenumber ​π/a. ​When opening the square, we neglected the term
but kept the O(1​/u​) one. Re-write the dispersion as

The constant term (​E​0​′ ​= ​E0​ ​− ​Jt ≈​ ​E​0​) can always be chosen as the origin of energy. ​ 2​J ​(1 − cos​ka)​
​E =
(It needs be kept in mind that, when finding the next band, the energy must be measured from rather than from
zero). The bandwidth, i.e., the difference between the maximal and minimal energies is equal W ​ ​= 4​J.
Properties  of  the  spectrum:​. ​ 1)​, ​the spectrum is nearly quadratic
Near the bottom of the band (​ka ≪

The effective mass is defined as

which yields

since the combination multiplying the bare electron mass is, by assumpton, much larger than unity. Therefore,
electrons near the bottom of the band behave as very heavy but free particles. A similar situation occurs near the top of
the band, where ​ka ​≈ π
​ , ​except for the effective mass is negative. Replacing ​ka ​= ​π −
​ ​ε ​and expanding to second order
​ ​yields
in ε

where ​m​∗ ​is the same as before. Therefore, if the

wavenumber is measured from the boundary of the Brillouin zone, the energy is a decreasing function of the
wavenumber, which means that electrons behave as if the effective mass is negative.
Semiclassical Dynamics:​. A simple-minded derivation of the equation of motion is solids.
​ he power dissipated by the force per electron must be
Consider an electron in the solid subject to an external force ​F. T
equal to the change of the electron energy
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​ here
,w

is the group velocity. Therefore, the equation of motion is

For a time-independent force,

.​ Since ​E ​is a periodic function of k​ , ​so is ​v. ​Therefore, both the electron energy and the
group velocity oscillate with time. For example, in a tight-binding model,

​ 2​π​¯​h/Fa. ​This effect is known as

The period of oscillations is ​T =
Bloch oscillations. The acceleration, defined, as

where

is a ​k ​dependent effective mass. The effective mass is determined by the (inverse) curvature of the

energy spectrim. In a tight-bindging model,. For ​ka ​→ 0 and ​ka ​→ ​π, t​ he effective mass
approaches the limiting values determined earlier. For 0 ≤ |​k|​ ​< π/​2​a, t​ he effective mass is positive. For ​π/​2​a < k​| ≤
π/a, ​the effective mass is negative. At the inflection point of the spectrum​∗ ​(​k ​= ​π/​2​a​)​, ​the effective mass is infinite.
The acceleration of particles occupying states with ​m > ​0 is along the force. The acceleration of particles occupying
states with ​m∗​ ​< 0​ ​, i​ s opposite to the force. If the external force is electric, the acceleration contains
the ratio ​e/m​∗​. T
​ hen, instead of thinking of states with negative ​m​∗​, o
​ ne can flip the sign of electric charge. In this
picture, the states with negative effective mass behaves as positively charged particles called ”holes”. This is how holes
are introduced in many textbooks. This is an acceptable definition except for one has to keep in mind that even if the
external force is not electric (and, in higher dimensions, not magnetic), the states with negative mass still have an
acceleration opposite to the force. Also, if ​k ​depends on t​ , ​the effective mass oscillates in the same way as the group
velocity and energy do. In the ”charge” picture, one has to say then that the effective charge oscillates in time: when a
particle is below the inflection point, the charge is negative; when it is above the inflection point, the charge is positive.
Either way–defining holes as particles with negative mass and negative charge or as particles with positive mass and
positive charge–is fine. One should though avoid making a mistake of flipping the sign twice, i.e., treating holes as

​ ass AND ​positive c​ harge. ​

particles with ​negative m Thanx….