Raman evidence for nonadiabatic effects in optical phonon self-energies of transition metals

Abstract

We report a Raman study of the effect of temperature on the self-energies of optical phonons in a number of transition metals with hexagonal-close-packed structure. Anisotropic softening of phonon energies and narrowing of phonon linewidths with increasing temperature are observed. These effects are reproduced in the calculations of phonon spectral functions based on ab initio electronic structures and with carrier scattering by phonons taken into account. The combined observations and results of simulations indicate a relation between observed anomalies and the renormalization of the electron spectrum due to electron-phonon interaction. It is emphasized that the temperature dependence of the phonon energies resembles anharmonic behavior but is actually an electron-induced effect. © 2016 American Physical Society.