Low-temperature thermal conductivity of antiferromagnetic S = 1/2 chain material CuCl_2$\cdot$2((CH_3)_2SO)

Abstract

We study the heat transport of S = 1/2 chain compound CuCl_2$\cdot$2((CH_3)_2SO) along the b axis (vertical to the chain direction) at very low temperatures. The zero-field thermal conductivity (\kappa) shows a distinct kink at about 0.9 K, which is related to the long-range antiferromagnetic (AF) transition. With applying magnetic field along the c axis, \kappa(H) curves also show distinct changes at the phase boundaries between the AF and the high-field disordered states. These results indicate a strong spin-phonon interaction and the magnetic excitations play a role in the b-axis heat transport as phonon scatterers.