Scalable T^2 resistivity in a small single-component Fermi surface

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that the T^2 resistivity coefficient in SrTiO3 can be tuned over four orders of magnitude by adjusting carrier concentration, revealing persistent quadratic behavior even in dilute single-band regimes without traditional mechanisms.

Contribution

It shows that T^2 resistivity in a simple Fermi liquid can be widely tuned, challenging existing microscopic theories of electron-electron scattering.

Findings

T^2 resistivity coefficient varies by four orders of magnitude with doping.

Quadratic resistivity persists in dilute single-band limit without known mechanisms.

Results suggest a gap in microscopic understanding of momentum decay in Fermi liquids.

Abstract

Scattering among electrons generates a distinct contribution to electrical resistivity that follows a quadratic temperature dependence. In strongly-correlated electron systems, the prefactor A of this T$^2$ resistivity scales with the magnitude of the electronic specific heat. Here, we show that one can change the magnitude of A by four orders of magnitude in metallic 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 different Fermi liquids.