Resistivity measurements unveil microscopic properties of CrAs

Abstract

We report resistivity measurements of a CrAs single crystal in a wide temperature range, with the specific aim to assess the applicability of the Bloch-Gruneisen formula for electron-phonon resistivity. We find that the resistance reaches a residual value at Tc=4.2 K and its temperature dependence cannot be fitted only with a suitable Bloch-Gruneisen formula in the whole temperature range, even though we are able to calculate a well defined transport Debye temperature. The observed temperature dependent resistivity seems to suggest a non phonon-mediated superconducting pairing, supporting a magnetic fluctuation mechanism as the likely glue for the superconducting coupling.

5 pages, 2 figures