Specific Heat of K $$_{0.71}$$ 0.71 Na $$_{0.29}$$ 0.29 Fe $$_2$$ 2 As $$_2$$ 2 at Very Low Temperatures

Abstract

A commercially available calorimeter has been used to investigate the specific heat of a high-quality \kn\ single crystal. The addenda heat capacity of the calorimeter is determined in the temperature range $0.02 \, \mathrm{K} \leq T \leq 0.54 \, \mathrm{K}$. The data of the \kn\ crystal imply the presence of a large $T^2$ contribution to the specific heat which gives evidence of $d$-wave order parameter symmetry in the superconducting state. To improve the measurements, a novel design for a calorimeter with a paramagnetic temperature sensor is presented. It promises a temperature resolution of $\Delta T \approx 0.1 \, \mathrm{\mu K}$ and an addenda heat capacity less than $200 \, \mathrm{pJ/K}$ at $ T < 100 \, \mathrm{mK}$.