Electrical resistivity and longitudinal electrical magnetoresistivity of palladium‐rich palladium‐erbium alloys at low temperatures

Abstract

Abstract Electrical resistivity of palladium‐erbium alloys, containing 0.5 0 , 1.0 0 , 1.9 3 , 3.9 7 , 5.2 2 , and 6.6 3 at% erbium, have been studied between 4 and 40 °K. In spite of localized magnetic moments on erbium atoms, no anomalies of any type are observable in the electrical resistivity curves. These palladium‐erbium alloys approximately obey the Matthiessen rule. Longitudinal magnetoresistivity measurements at 4.2 °K in fields up to 60 kOe have been made on the same alloys. The total longitudinal magnetoresistivity rapidly decreases from positive values to zero values with increasing erbium concentrations. The magnetoresistivity for 5.3 2 and 6.6 3 at% erbium alloys is essentially zero at any magnetic field value. The change in the magnetic component of the total resistivity has been found to be extremely small. The electrical resistivity increase due to 1 at% erbium in palladium is about 2.9 μΩcm.