We report the diagonal components of the electrical resistivity tensor of quasi-one-dimensional ${\text{SrNbO}}_{3.41}$, determined using the Montgomery method. The results confirm quasi-one-dimensional behavior but show a smaller anisotropy than previously reported. High-resolution linear thermal expansion reveals weakly anisotropic behavior and no evidence of charge-density wave formation, which has been suspected as the cause of the upturn in the electrical resistivity $\rho$ near 50 K. Heat-capacity measurements reveal an electronic heat-capacity coefficient that is near zero with a Debye temperature ${\Theta }_D=382\left(1\right)\text{K}$. We report that $\rho$ exhibits power-law behavior, as expected within the framework of Luttinger liquid theory for quasi-one-dimensional systems. Detailed analysis of the data above 100 K implies relatively strong correlations and the possibility of a gap in the spin-excitation spectrum. The origin of the small energy gap below 50 K and the conduction mechanism in this region remain as outstanding issues.

• Received 15 June 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.125117