Theory of Classical Hopping Conduction: Some General Properties

Abstract

Starting with the linearized master equation, we present a first-principles approach to hopping conduction with the aid of configuration basis vectors. The obtained conductivity formula is composed of two constituents: σω = σ∞ - Σω, σ∞ being the frequency-independent part. A general profile of σω can be predicted from this formula. The formula can provide a systematic foundation for conventional conductivity formula or the Movaghar-Pohlmann-Schirmacher Green function method. Our formula is applied to some simple systems to investigate (i) the correlation effect of particles on σ∞, and (ii) the conductivity of a disordered system.