Transport properties and Kohler's rule in $R$$_x$Lu$_{1-x}$B$_{12}$ solid solutions with $x$ $\leq$ 0.03: do charge stripes really exist in metallic dodecaborides?

Abstract

Nonmagnetic metal LuB$_{12}$ is known to exhibit considerable transport anisotropy, which was explained in literature by different mechanisms including possible formation of dynamic charge stripes below the point $\sim$ 150K. Here we study transport properties of solid solutions based on LuB$_{12}$ host compound with general formula $R$$_x$Lu$_{1-x}$B$_{12}$ ($R$$-$Dy, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) and with $x$ $\leq$ 0.03. The experiment has been performed on single crystals of high quality in the temperature range 1.8 $-$ 300K in magnetic fields up to 82kOe. The application of several models to the analysis of zero-field resistivity is discussed. A phenomenological description of large positive quadratic component of transverse magnetoresistance $\Delta$$\rho$/$\rho$($H$) = $\mu_D^2$$H^2$, which dominates for all compounds under investigation, allows to estimate drift mobility exponential changes $\mu_D$ $\sim$ $T^{-\alpha}$ with the index $\alpha$ $\approx$ 0.95 $-$ 1.46. In order to check the existence of additional channel of scattering, caused by probable presence of dynamic charge stripes, we performed the study of the anisotropy of magnetoresistance in Dy$_{0.01}$Lu$_{0.99}$B$_{12}$ and Tm$_{0.03}$Lu$_{0.97}$B$_{12}$ compositions including the measurements of the field scans with different current and field geometries. The data obtained allow us to confirm the fulfillment of semi-empirical Kohler's rule in a wide interval of temperatures 30 $-$ 240K regardless of the orientation of current and magnetic field. This result was attributed as a proof of the absence of additional channel of scattering caused by stripes. We argue, that charge-transport anisotropy is originated in $R$$_x$Lu$_{1-x}$B$_{12}$ due to the anisotropy of electron-phonon scattering on the one hand and the effects of Fermi surface (FS) topology (at low temperatures) on the other.