Contributions of Inter- and Intraband Excitations to Electron Heat Capacity and Electron-Phonon Coupling in Noble Metals

This work examines the effects of photonically induced interband excitations from the d-band to states at the Fermi energy on thermophysical properties in noble metals. The change in the electron population in the d-band and the conduction band causes a change in electron heat capacity and electron-phonon coupling factor, which in turn impacts the evolution of the temperature after pulse absorption and electron thermalization. Expressions for heat capacity and electron-phonon coupling factor are derived for electrons undergoing both inter- and intraband transitions. In noble metals, due to the large d-band to Fermi energy separation, the contributions to electron heat capacity and electron-phonon coupling factor of intra- and interband transitions can be separated. At high absorbed laser fluences and pulse energies greater than the interband transition threshold, the interband and intraband contributions to thermophysical properties differ.