Thermal and Electrical Resistivity of Tellurium at Low Temperatures

Measurements are reported of the electrical and thermal resistivity between 2^∘{}K and room temperature of high-purity tellurium rods prepared by zone refining. The maximum thermal conductivity in the case of a single crystal of 3-mm diameter is about 10 watts/cm deg at 4^∘{}K; analysis of the measurements suggests that in the specimens used the thermal conductivity---due predominantly to lattice waves---is limited by scattering at grain boundaries or dislocations for temperatures below 4^∘{}K and at higher temperatures ({~}100^∘{}K) by phonon-phonon interaction. The absence of an exponential "Umklapp" region may be explained by the presence of many isotopes in tellurium.