Thermal conductivity of NbSe₃

The thermal conductivity, κ, of NbSe₃ has been measured by novel self-heating techniques that allowed the electric field dependence of κ to also be measured. Measurements were made from 35 K to room temperature. Above the charge density wave transitions, the phonon thermal conductivity is 4-7 times the electron thermal conductivity, and it rises smoothly below the transitions, indicating that phonon-phonon scattering predominates. Phonon mean free parths have been estimated at 187 A° at 60 K and 60 A° at 150 K. No clear anomalies were observed at the phase transitions, giving upper limits to changes in the phonon mean free path. No field dependence of κ was observed.