The in-plane thermal conductivity of iron-based superconductor RbFe$_2$As$_2$ single crystal ($T_c approx$ 2.1 K) was measured down to 100 mK. In zero field, the observation of a significant residual linear term $kappa_0/T$ = 0.65 mW K$^{-2}$ cm$^{-1
}$ provides clear evidence for nodal superdonducting gap. The field dependence of $kappa_0/T$ is similar to that of its sister compound CsFe$_2$As$_2$ with comparable residual resistivity $rho_0$, and lies between the dirty and clean KFe$_2$As$_2$. These results suggest that the (K,Rb,Cs)Fe$_2$As$_2$ serial superconductors have a common nodal gap structure.
The specific heat and thermal conductivity of the insulating ferrimagnet Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$ (Yttrium Iron Garnet, YIG) single crystal were measured down to 50 mK. The ferromagnetic magnon specific heat $C$$_m$ shows a characteristic $T^{1.5}$ depend
ence down to 0.77 K. Below 0.77 K, a downward deviation is observed, which is attributed to the magnetic dipole-dipole interaction with typical magnitude of 10$^{-4}$ eV. The ferromagnetic magnon thermal conductivity $kappa_m$ does not show the characteristic $T^2$ dependence below 0.8 K. To fit the $kappa_m$ data, both magnetic defect scattering effect and dipole-dipole interaction are taken into account. These results complete our understanding of the thermodynamic and thermal transport properties of the low-lying ferromagnetic magnons.
The thermal conductivity of iron-based superconductor CsFe$_2$As$_2$ single crystal ($T_c =$ 1.81 K) was measured down to 50 mK. A significant residual linear term $kappa_0/T$ = 1.27 mW K$^{-2}$ cm$^{-1}$ is observed in zero magnetic field, which is
about 1/10 of the normal-state value in upper critical field $H_{c2}$. In low magnetic field, $kappa_0/T$ increases rapidly with field. The overall field dependence of $kappa_0/T$ for our CsFe$_2$As$_2$ (with residual resistivity $rho_0$ = 1.80 $muOmega$ cm) lies between the dirty KFe$_2$As$_2$ (with $rho_0$ = 3.32 $muOmega$ cm) and the clean KFe$_2$As$_2$ (with $rho_0$ = 0.21 $muOmega$ cm). These results strongly suggest nodal superconducting gap in CsFe$_2$As$_2$, similar to its sister compound KFe$_2$As$_2$.
Anderson localization is a general phenomenon of wave physics, which stems from the interference between multiple scattering paths1,2. It was originally proposed for electrons in a crystal, but later was also observed for light3-5, microwaves6, ultra
sound7,8, and ultracold atoms9-12. Actually, in a crystal, besides electrons there may exist other quasiparticles such as magnons and spinons. However the search for Anderson localization of these magnetic excitations is rare so far. Here we report the first observation of spinon localization in copper benzoate, an ideal compound of spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain, by ultra-low-temperature specific heat and thermal conductivity measurements. We find that while the spinon specific heat Cs displays linear temperature dependence down to 50 mK, the spinons thermal conductivity ks only manifests the linear temperature dependence down to 300 mK. Below 300 mK, ks/T decreases rapidly and vanishes at about 100 mK, which is a clear evidence for Anderson localization. Our finding opens a new window for studying such a fundamental phenomenon in condensed matter physics.
The thermal conductivity of optimally doped NaFe$_{0.972}$Co$_{0.028}$As ($T_c sim$ 20 K) and overdoped NaFe$_{0.925}$Co$_{0.075}$As ($T_c sim$ 11 K) single crystals were measured down to 50 mK. No residual linear term $kappa_0/T$ is found in zero ma
gnetic field for both compounds, which is an evidence for nodeless superconducting gap. Applying field up to $H$ = 9 T ($approx H_{c2}/4$) does not noticeably increase $kappa_0/T$ in NaFe$_{1.972}$Co$_{0.028}$As, which is consistent with multiple isotropic gaps with similar magnitudes. The $kappa_0/T$ of overdoped NaFe$_{1.925}$Co$_{0.075}$As shows a relatively faster field dependence, indicating the increase of the ratio between the magnitudes of different gaps, or the enhancement of gap anisotropy upon increasing doping.
