The Mott criterion describes the
critical point of the
metal–insulator transition
Metal–insulator transitions are transitions of a material from a metal (material with good electrical conductivity of electric charges) to an insulator (material where conductivity of charges is quickly suppressed). These transitions can be ach ...
. The criterion is
where
is the electron density of the material and
the effective bohr radius.
The constant
, according to various estimates, is 2.0, 2.78,4.0, or 4.2.
If the criterion is satisfied (i.e. if the density of electrons is sufficiently high) the material becomes conductive (metal) and otherwise it will be an insulator.
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See also
*
Hubbard model
The Hubbard model is an approximate model used to describe the transition between conducting and insulating systems.
It is particularly useful in solid-state physics. The model is named for John Hubbard.
The Hubbard model states that each el ...
*
Bohr radius
The Bohr radius (''a''0) is a physical constant, approximately equal to the most probable distance between the nucleus and the electron in a hydrogen atom in its ground state. It is named after Niels Bohr, due to its role in the Bohr model of an ...
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Mott insulator
Mott insulators are a class of materials that are expected to conduct electricity according to conventional band theories, but turn out to be insulators (particularly at low temperatures). These insulators fail to be correctly described by band ...
References
Quantum phases
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