2 research outputs found
Thermal and electrical transport in the spin density wave antiferromagnet CaFeAs
We present here measurements of the thermopower, thermal conductivity, and
electrical resistivity of the newly reported compound CaFe4As3. Evidence is
presented from specific heat and electrical resistivity measurements that a
substantial fraction of the Fermi surface survives the onset of spin density
wave (SDW) order at the Neel temperature TN=88 K, and its subsequent
commensurate lockin transition at T2=26.4 K. The specific heat below T2
consists of a normal metallic component from the ungapped parts of the Fermi
surface, and a Bardeen-Cooper- Schrieffer (BCS) component that represents the
SDW gapping of the Fermi surface. A large Kadowaki-Woods ratio is found at low
temperatures, showing that the ground state of CaFe4As3 is a strongly
interacting Fermi liquid. The thermal conductivity of CaFe4As3 is an order of
magnitude smaller than those of conventional metals at all temperatures, due to
a strong phonon scattering. The thermoelectric power displays a sign change
from positive to negative indicating that a partial gap forms at the Fermi
level with the onset of commensurate spin density wave order at T2=26.4 K. The
small value of the thermopower and the enhancements of the resistivity due to
gap formation and strong quasiparticle interactions offset the low value of the
thermal conductivity, yielding only a modest value for the thermoelectric
figure of merit Z < 5x10^-6 1/K in CaFe4As3. The results of ab initio
electronic structure calculations are reported, confirming that the sign change
in the thermopower at T2 is reflected by a sign change in the slope of the
density of states at the Fermi level. Values for the quasiparticle
renormalization are derived from measurements of the specific heat and
thermopower, indicating that as T->0, CaFe4As3 is among the most strongly
correlated of the known Fe-based pnictide and chalcogenide systems.Comment: 8 pages with 5 figure