Quantum oscillation of thermal conductivity and violation of Weidemann-Franz law in TaAs$_2$ and NbAs$_2$

Abstract

We report a study of thermal conductivity and resistivity at ultra-low temperatures and in high magnetic fields for semi-metal materials TaAs$_2$ and NbAs$_2$ by using single crystal samples. The thermal conductivity is strongly suppressed in magnetic fields, having good correspondence with the large positive magnetoresistance, which indicates a dominant electronic contribution to thermal conductivity. In addition, not only the resistivity but also the thermal conductivity display clear quantum oscillations behavior at subKelvin temperatures and in magnetic fields up to 14 T. The most striking phenomenon is that the thermal conductivity show a $T^4$ behavior at very low temperatures, while the resistivity show a $T$-independent behavior. This indicates a strong violation of the Weidemann-Franz law and points to a non-Feimi liquid state of these materials.