A low-temperature electron diffraction study of structural disorder and its relationship to the Kondo effect in ThAsSe

Abstract

A low-temperature electron diffraction study has been carried out on ThAsSe to search for evidence of structural disorder associated with the low-temperature non-magnetic Kondo effect. A highly structured and extremely complex characteristic diffuse intensity distribution has been observed at low temperature and interpreted in terms of a gradual charge density wave type phase transition upon lowering of temperature involving disordered As-As dimerization within (001) planes. Plausible models of the proposed As-As dimerization have been obtained using a group theoretical approach. Show more