Effective Masses in Monatomic and Diatomic Crystals and the Transfer‐Matrix Notion

Abstract The effective masses of the electrons in monatomic and diatomic crystals are derived on the basis of one‐dimensional models and in the framework of a relevant transfer matrix. From the general expression thus obtained the particular cases corresponding to all possible band edges of models with δ‐function potentials are deduced. In certain special cases the effective mass characterizing the diatomic crystal may be expressed throughthe effective masses in the two monatomic crystals.