Electron-electron and electron-phonon contributions to scattering in strange metals

A central question in the analysis of strange metal transport is whether the scattering mechanism is dominantly elastic or inelastic [1]. In the high temperature region, this is essentially a question of whether electron-electron or electron-phonon scattering dominates. I will argue that this issue can be addressed by measurement and analysis of the temperature-dependent Lorenz ratio of correlated electron metals, and comparison with that of metals in which electron-phonon scattering is known to be very strong.

[1] S.A. Hartnoll and A.P. Mackenzie, arXiv:2107.07802; to appear in Reviews of Modern Physics