Experimental study of electron-phonon properties in ZrB<Subscript> 2</Subscript>

High quality samples and absence of superconductivity down to 40 mK make of ZrB<Subscript>2</Subscript> the best normal state reference system for the superconducting isostructural MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript>. Actually, the question of pairing has to be focused on the electron-phonon interaction in the normal state. After presenting the resistivity measurements of ZrB<Subscript>2</Subscript>, we explain the details of the Bloch-Grüneisen and Einstein models used to deduce the first results. We then compare experimental de Haas-van Alphen effect data with theoretical Fermi surfaces to present additional results on electron quasi-particle renormalization. The estimations reveal an isotropic and negligible coupling constant of in average <InlineEquation ID="Equ1"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$\left\langle \lambda_{tr} \right\rangle=$</EquationSource> </InlineEquation> 0.145. The contribution of the coupling to the optical phonon modes is 0.082, in contrast to the known larger coupling of 0.283 [3] to the E<Subscript>2g</Subscript> phonon mode in MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript>. Copyright EDP Sciences/Società Italiana di Fisica/Springer-Verlag 2006