Quantum corrections to the conductivity in icosahedral Al-Cu-Fe alloys

We report measurements of the temperature and magnetic-field dependence of the resistivity in single-phase icosahedral Al-Cu-Fe alloys between 0.15 and 41 K and fields up to 8.8 T. The data are consistent with the predictions of weak localization and electron-electron-interaction theories, even though the disorder parameter (${\mathit{k}}_{\mathit{F}}$ ${\mathit{l}}_{\mathit{e}}$ ${)}^{\mathrm{-}1}$ is larger than one. The spin-orbit scattering and the electron-wave-function dephasing rates are found from a fit of the magnetoresistance. The dephasing rate is found to vary as ${\mathit{AT}}^{\mathit{p}}$ with p∼1.5, characteristic of electron-electron scattering in the strong disorder regime. Independent determination of the dephasing rate from the temperature dependence of the resistivity, however, gives significantly different values of A and p. This discrepancy is discussed in terms of electron-electron and electron-phonon scattering rates. We also observe directly the antilocalization effect due to spin-orbit scattering on the temperature dependence of the resistivity in one of the samples.