Temperature dependence of the spectral width in the intermediate valence compound CeAl 3

Abstract

We report measurements of the quasi-elastic spectral component of the compound CeAl 3 in the temperature range 60 mK < T < 125 K. At low temperatures, below ⋍ 1 K, the quasi-elastic spectral width is effectively constant but increases as T 1 2 at higher temperatures. One possible interpretation of this behaviour is that it reflects the transformation of the f electrons from a Fermi liquid at low temperatures to a classical liquid at higher temperatures.