Influence of structural relaxation on the low-temperature properties of glassy metals

Abstract

The thermal conductivity $\kappa$ of glassy metals is shown to change reversibly with heat treatment at temperatures $T_A$ near the glass transition. If the change in $\kappa$ is interpreted as resulting from a change in the density $n\left(E\right)\mathrm{}$ of the two-level states found in amorphous solids, the observed dependence of $n\left(E\right)\mathrm{}$ on $T_A$ is in qualitative agreement with a prediction of a free-volume model for the glass transition.