Anisotropy of the Temperature-Dependent Resistivity of Tin between 8 and 300 °K

Abstract

Electrical-resistivity measurements have been performed on five single crystals of pure tin in the temperature interval 8-300 °K. From these measurements, the temperature-dependent anisotropy ($a=\frac{{\rho }_{\parallel }}{{\rho }_{\perp }}$) of the electrical resistivity has been determined. A striking maximum in the $a-\mathrm{v}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{r}\mathrm{s}\mathrm{u}\mathrm{s}-T$ curve is noted at $T\approx 20$ °K. The features of this curve at high, intermediate, and low temperatures are interpreted in terms of a simplified model for an anisotropic metal. The model predicts that the $a-\mathrm{v}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{r}\mathrm{s}\mathrm{u}\mathrm{s}-T$ curve for all electrically anisotropic metals with anisotropy $a_{\infty }$ as $T\to \infty$ will exhibit a maximum $a_{max}=a_{\infty }^2$ at intermediate or low temperatures.