Fluctuations and thermodynamics of the charge-density-wave phase transition.

We present results on the resistivity {rho}, specific heat {ital C}{sub {ital p}}, and susceptibility {chi} of K{sub 0.3}MoO{sub 3} near the Peierls transition {ital T}{sub {ital p}} at 180 K. Our resistivity measurements demonstrate that fluctuations intrinsic to the material persist over a temperature interval that is at least 30 K wide. Associated with the large fluctuations is en enhanced specific-heat anomaly that we analyze in terms of the short coherence lengths characteristic of many Peierls systems. We find a scaling relation between the spin susceptibility and the specific heat that covers the intrinsic fluctuation regime.