Geometric Theory of Lattice Vibrations and Specific Heat
  We discuss, from a geometric standpoint, the specific heat of a solid. This is a classical subject in solid state physics which dates back to a pioneering work by Einstein (1907) and its refinement by Debye (1912). Using a special quantization of crystal lattices and calculating the asymptotic of the integrated density of states at the bottom of the spectrum, we obtain a rigorous derivation of the classical Debye $T^3$ law on the specific heat at low temperatures. The idea and method are taken from discrete geometric analysis which has been recently developed for the spectral geometry of crystal lattices. 
Mikhail Shubin, Toshikazu Sunada