Polarons in materials

C. Franchini, M. Reticcioli, M. Setvin, U. Diebold

University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics and Center for Computational Materials Science, Vienna, Austria
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Institut für Angewandte Physik, TU Wien, 1040 Wien, Austria
Department of Surface and Plasma Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Nat. Rev. Mater. 6 (2021) 560-586

Polarons are quasiparticles that easily form in polarizable materials due to the coupling of excess electrons or holes with ionic vibrations. These quasiparticles manifest themselves in many different ways and have a profound impact on materials properties and functionalities. Polarons have been the testing ground for the development of numerous theories, and their manifestations have been studied by many different experimental probes. This Review provides a map of the enormous amount of data and knowledge accumulated on polaron effects in materials, ranging from early studies and standard treatments to emerging experimental techniques and novel theoretical and computational approaches.

Corresponding author: Cesare Franchini. Reprints also available from Ulrike Diebold (diebold at iap_tuwien_ac_at).

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