Model for the thermal conductivity of a quasicrystalline alloy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple model explaining the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity of the quasicrystalline alloy AlPdMn, capturing low-temperature behavior and comparing it to amorphous solids.

Contribution

A novel model for the thermal conductivity of quasicrystals that accounts for temperature dependence and highlights differences from amorphous materials.

Findings

Model successfully explains low-temperature thermal conductivity plateau

Highlights similarities between quasicrystals and amorphous solids

Provides insights into phonon scattering mechanisms in quasicrystals

Abstract

We present a simple model for the observed temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of AlPdMn (Chernikov et al, Phys.Rev.B vol.51, (1995),153). We account for the low temperature data, upto and including the plateau of the thermal conductivity, and discuss the similarities and the differences between the quasicrystal and amorphous solids.