title: Thermal conductivity of the hole-doped spin ladder system Sr14-xCaxCu24O41
abstract: The thermal conductivity of the spin-1/2 ladder system Sr14-xCaxCu24O41 ( x = 0, 2, and 12) has been measured both along ( kappa(c)) and perpendicular to ( kappa(a)) the ladder direction at temperatures between 5 and 300 K. While the temperature dependence of kappa(a) is typical for phonon heat transport, an unusual double-peak structure is observed for kappa(c)(T). We interpret this unexpected feature as a manifestation of quasi-one-dimensional magnon thermal transport mediated by spin excitations along the ladders.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorium fur Festkorperphysik, ETH Honggerberg, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Sologubenko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gianno
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Ott
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ammerahl
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Revcolevschi