The phonon dispersion curves, phonon frequency distribution function as well as the lattice specific heat of body-centred tetragonal indium have been deduced using a lattice dynamical model which includes central, angular and volume forces. Six elastic constants, four zone boundary frequencies and an equilibrium condition were used in the evaluation of the force constants. It is shown that this model is elastically consistent and satisfies the symmetry requirements of the lattice, the phonon frequencies of indium deduced from it are in very good agreement with the experimental values of Reichardt and Smith and the theoretical values of Garrett and Swihart, and theθ_D values compare well with the experimental values over a wide temperature range. The apparent discrepancies in the phonon dispersion curves and theθ_D-T curves obtained from deficient models, importance of umklapp processes and the significance of angular forces in the lattice dynamical models are discussed.

The origin of the elastic inconsistency ofdaf, mas andgtf models for non-cubic solids and the failure of their force constants to comply with all the rotational invariance conditions are analysed by resolving the atomic displacements of face-centred tetragonal indium along three mutually perpendicular directions. It is shown that a lattice dynamical model suffers from these deficiencies as a consequence of its neglect of three-body interactions as well as the mixed neighbour interactions associated with the angular forces, while thecgw model which incorporates both these interactions is elastically consistent and its potential energy rotationally invariant. The degree of equivalence that exists among the force constants ofdaf, mas, gtf andcgw models, the distortions introduced by the elastic inconsistency into the phonon dispersion curves of fct indium as well as the consequences of imposing the rotational invariance conditions on the force constants of a lattice dynamical model are discussed.