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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
We present a theory of three-phonon interactions in nanophononic semiconductors at 300˜K. The intrinsic lifetime of phonon modes is estimated from the application of Fermi's Golden Rule, based on realistic phonon dispersion relations and a quasi-continuum model for the cubic anharmonicity. We show that the lifetime of phonon modes in the Si(0.543˜nm)/- Ge(0.543˜nm)[100] superlattice is shorter than the average of results for bulk Si and Ge. This is explained in terms of the availability of additional decay routes and an additional Dual Mass factor which arises due the different densities of Si and Ge.