Temperature dependence of conductivity arising from electron-electron interaction effects in amorphous metals

We present an analysis of the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity σ of several amorphous metals over a wide temperature range, showing the importance of both localization effects and electron-electron interactions in these materials. At the lowest temperatures σ varies as T1/2 and this, taken in conjunction with a positive magnetoresistance, indicates the importance of quantum corrections. However, above ~20 K, σ is shown to increase linearly with T, changing again to T1/2 at higher temperatues still---a combined variation that is in accordance with localization phenomena. The temperature dependence of σ in nonmagnetic metallic glasses can, therefore, be fully explained by quantum corrections to the "Boltzmann" conductivity.