The specific heat of metals and alloys at low temperatures

The effect of thermal excitation of the conduction electrons on the elastic shear constants is investigated in a metal in which the Fermi surface lies close to the Brillouin-zone boundaries. It is shown that in these circumstances electron-lattice interaction leads to an addi­tional term in the specific heat, linear in the temperature in the liquid-helium range, which, therefore, augments the pure electronic specific heat. The variation in magnitude of this linear term is considered in the α-brasses. It is suggested that this is the physical effect underlying the peculiarities of the ‘electronic’ specific heat of these alloys.