SOLID-STATE PHYSICS. Scalable T² resistivity in a small single-component Fermi surface.

ABSTRACT

Scattering among electrons generates a distinct contribution to electrical resistivity that follows a quadratic temperature (T) dependence. In strongly correlated electron systems, the prefactor A of this T(2) resistivity scales with the magnitude of the electronic specific heat, γ. Here we show that one can change the magnitude of A by four orders of magnitude in metallic strontium titanate (SrTiO3) by tuning the concentration of the carriers and, consequently, the Fermi energy. The T(2) behavior persists in the single-band dilute limit despite the absence of two known mechanisms for T(2) behavior distinct electron reservoirs and Umklapp processes. The results highlight the absence of a microscopic theory for momentum decay through electron-electron scattering in various Fermi liquids.