Correlated Small-Polaron Hopping Motion

Abstract

Prior small-polaron hopping theories have tacitly assumed that the lattice relaxes rapidly enough after a jump to permit the treating of successive hops as independent. We conclude that the appropriate relaxation time is too long to permit consistent application of these theories to intermediate-mobility materials such as NiO and CoO. Furthermore, the activation energies associated with correlated hopping motion may be sufficiently small so that the mobility will not manifest an activated behavior.