Abstract
Inelastic neutron scattering measurements on several Tl filled skutterudites (, , and ) all show a sharp peak in the vibrational density of states at , which is absent in the unfilled skutterudite . Heat capacity measurements on as compared to are consistent with the presence of a localized vibrational mode associated with the “rattling” thallium atoms in this filled skutterudite compound. Both results are well described by a localized Einstein mode model with an Einstein temperature of . These data provide perhaps the clearest example of local mode behavior in a concentrated metallic system.
- Received 20 December 2002
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.135505
©2003 American Physical Society