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Abstract

We report on magnetotransport properties of the Kondo semiconducting compound CeRu2Al10, focusing on its exotic phase below T-0 = 27 K. An excess thermal conductivity kappa emerges below T-0 and is gradually suppressed by magnetic field, strikingly resembling those observed in the hidden-order phase of URu2Si2. Our analysis indicates that low-energy magnetic excitation is the most likely origin, as was also proposed for URu2Si2 recently based on inelastic x-ray scattering measurements of phonon dynamics, despite the largely reduced magnetic moments. Likewise, other transport properties such as resistivity, thermopower, and Nernst effect exhibit distinct features characterizing the very different charge dynamics above and below T-0, sharing similarities to URu2Si2, too. Given the exotic nature of the ordered phase in both compounds, whether a unified interpretation to all these observations exists appears to be extremely interesting.