Single ion scattering contributions to the thermal conductivity of LiHoF_4 and LiY_{96%}Ho_{4%}F_4

Abstract

We have performed extensive zero-field thermal conductivity measurements on single crystal samples of \LiHoF and \LiYHoF below $2.3K$. By comparing these data to a single ion scattering model, we have shown that the thermal conductivity of \LiYHoF is dominated by simple single-ion scattering while that of \LiHoF shows additional contributions, possibly associated with collective spin excitations. No entirely satisfactory model, however, is available to explain the thermal conductivity of the ferromagnet.