Low temperature specific heat has been investigated in a novel ternary superconductor La_{3}Pd_{4}Ge_{4} with an U_{3}Ni_{4}Si_{4}-type structure consisting of the alternating BaAl_{4} (ThCr_{2}Si_{2})- and AlB2-type layers. A comparative study with the related ThCr_{2}Si_{2}-type superconductor LaPd_{2}Ge_{2}, one of the layers in La_{3}Pd_{4}Ge_{4}, is also presented. From the normal state specific heat, the Sommerfeld coefficient γn=27.0 mJ/mol K^2 and the Debye temperature ΘD = 256 K are derived for the La_{3}Pd_{4}Ge_{4}, while those for the LaPd_{2}Ge_{2} are γn=8.26 mJ/mol K^2 and ΘD = 291 K. The La_{3}Pd_{4}Ge_{4} has moderately high electronic density of state at the Fermi level. Electronic contribution on the specific heat, Cel, in each compound is well described by the BCS behavior, suggesting that both of the La_{3}Pd_{4}Ge_{4} and the LaPd_{2}Ge_{2} have fully opened isotropic gap in the superconducting state.
@article{arxiv.0708.0129,
title = {Low temperature specific heat of La_{3}Pd_{4}Ge_{4} with U_{3}Ni_{4}Si_{4}-type structure},
author = {S. Kasahara and H. Fujii and T. Mochiku and H. Takeya and K. Hirata},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0708.0129},
year = {2014}
}