Modeling the spectral conductivity of Al-Mn-Si quasicrystalline approximants: A phenomenological approach

The electronic structure of a quasicrystalline approximant sample is analyzed by means of a combined study of different experimental transport curves within a phenomenological approach. The main features of the obtained spectral conductivity are discussed and compared to those corresponding to icosahedral quasicrystals. Such a comparison provides interesting clues about the role of quasiperiodic order and of local atomic arrangements in the origin of unusual behaviors in the electrical conductivity and thermopower observed in complex metallic alloys