Low-Temperature Specific-Heat Study of Cu-Pd Alloys

Abstract

Variations with composition of the electronic specific-heat coefficient $\gamma$ and Debye temperature ${\Theta }_D$ have been determined for Cu-Pd alloys from low-temperature specific-heat measurements between 1.5 and 4.2°K. The dependence of $\gamma$ on composition is similar to that found by Hoare et al. for Ag-Pd alloys. For Cu alloys with small concentrations of Pd, deviations from a rigid-band model have been observed. Thermo-dynamic properties of these alloys are discussed in terms of the band structure deduced from $\gamma$ values. Changes in long-range order and short-range order have pronounced effects on $\gamma$ and ${\Theta }_D$ values.