Thermophysical properties of solid yttrium–holmium solutions in the temperature range from room temperature to $1400$ K

The thermophysical properties (thermal diffusivity, specific heat, and thermal conductivity) and resistance of solid solutions (alloys) of rare-earth metals (yttrium and holmium) have been experimentally studied. It is established that, on the whole, these properties obey the same laws as pure rare-earth metals. Heat transfer in $\rm Y$–$\rm Ho$ alloys at the considered temperatures is mainly performed by electrons as well. The existing quantitative differences between the properties are due to the different influences of the different mechanisms of carrier (electron) scattering. A procedure to separate the contributions to electron scattering based on the Mott model is considered. The roles of phonon-, magnetic-, and impurity-scattering mechanisms are determined. It is established that the magnetic-scattering intensity monotonically decreases upon heating and with a decrease in the holmium concentration. Nordheim’s rule is valid for impurity scattering, which indicates stability of the energy spectrum structure of collective alloy electrons.