The effect of plastic strain on the high-field transport properties of Pb

Single crystals of lead have been subjected to plastic strain at low temperatures and the resulting effects on the high-field transport properties have been studied. The increase in elastic electronic scattering is pronounced and correlates well with the flow stress, except at the lowest stress values. The high-field electronic thermal resistivity is shown to obey an appropriate Matthiessen's rule, in contrast to the situation that is usually found at zero field. The lattice thermal conductivity is not noticeably affected by the strain, a result consistent with calculations but contrary to the data obtained recently on pure K (Fletcher, Phys. Rev. vol.36, p.3042, 1987). With higher magnetic fields the present techniques might provide a useful alternative to those already in existence in studying phonon-dislocation effects.