Thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity of heavy fermion CeCu 4Al

Abstract

The thermal conductivity and thermopower are discussed for the heavy fermion CeCu4Al compound. CeCu4Al is paramagnetic and follows the modified Curie-Weiss law with μeff = 2:53 μB/f.u. and θP = -10 K indicating on the presence of well localized magnetic moments of Ce3+ ions. The determined electronic specific heat coeficient γ = 2:2 J mol-1K-2 confirms the heavy fermion character of this compound. Thermopower is positive over the whole temperature range and below Tmax = 25 K falls rapidly. Based on a simple band model the position and width of the 4f peak nearest to the Fermi level have been estimated. The measured total thermal conductivity of the CeCu4Al compound increases almost linearly with increasing temperature.