Unusual thermodynamics of low-energy phonons in the Dirac semimetal Cd₃As₂

By studying the thermal conductivity, specific heat, elastic modulus, and thermal expansion as a function of temperature for Cd₃As₂, we have unveiled a couple of important thermodynamic features of the low-energy phonons strongly interacting with Dirac electrons. The existence of soft optical phonons, as inferred from the extremely low thermal conductivity, is unambiguously confirmed by low-temperature specific heat revealing significant deviation from Debye's description. The estimated Debye temperature is small in the range of 100—200 K and varies significantly depending upon the measurement used in its experimental determination. The thermodynamic Grüneisen ratio γ reveals a remarkable reduction below about 100 K, an energy scale that is highly relevant to the Dirac states, towards negative values below about 10 K that are indicative of lattice instability.