| The thermal conductivity, thermo-electric power, and electrical resistivity are all transport measurements that illuminate the electron-phonon interaction, which is crucial to conventional superconductivity. The rare-earth nickel borocarbide family of compounds provides the perfect system for studying the interplay of superconductivity and magnetism since the electronic and crystal structure can be held approximately fixed while the magnetic moment of the rare-earth constituent is varied. In this thesis, the electron-phonon interaction has been probed through the measurement of the thermal conductivity, thermo-electric power, and electrical resistivity of the RNi2B2C family where R = Y, Lu, Yb, Tm, Er, Ho, Dy, Tb, Gd. This has been done in an effort to attain insight into the interplay of magnetism and superconductivity, and particularly a better understanding of the coexistence of these two long-range phenomena. |
