Negative Longitudinal Magnetoresistance Research Articles

3D topological semimetal phases of strained [formula omitted]-Sn on insulating substrate

α-Sn is an elemental topological material, whose topological phases can be tuned by strain and magnetic field. Such tunability offers a substantial potential for topological electronics. However, InSb substrates, commonly used to stabilize α-Sn allotrope, suffer from parallel conduction, restricting transport investigations and potential applications. Here, the successful MBE growth of high-quality α-Sn layers on insulating, hybrid (001) CdTe/GaAs substrates, with bulk electron mobility approaching 20000 cm2V−1s−1 is reported. The electronic properties of the samples are systematically investigated by independent complementary techniques, enabling thorough characterization of the 3D Dirac (DSM) and Weyl (WSM) semimetal phases induced by the strains and magnetic field, respectively. Magneto-optical experiments, corroborated with band structure modelling, provide an exhaustive description of the bulk states in the DSM phase. The modelled electronic structure is directly observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, which reveals linearly dispersing bands near the Fermi level. The first detailed study of negative longitudinal magnetoresistance relates this effect to the chiral anomaly and, consequently, to the presence of WSM. Observation of the π Berry phase in Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations agrees with the topologically non-trivial nature of the investigated samples. Our findings establish α-Sn as an attractive topological material for exploring relativistic physics and future applications.

Te Vacancy‐Driven Anomalous Transport in ZrTe5 and HfTe5

AbstractThe strongly sample‐dependent anomalous transport properties observed in the layered Dirac materials ZrTe5 and HfTe5 are known to strongly correlate with the presence of Te vacancies. One phenomenon, a negative longitudinal magnetoresistance (NLMR), is widely speculated to be a signature of broken chiral symmetry. However, the role of electronic structure in the sample dependence of the transport properties of these materials is poorly understood. This prompts the question as to whether the NLMR is a genuine signature of the chiral anomaly in ZrTe5 and HfTe5. In this work, the effect of Te vacancies on the electronic structure of ZrTe5 and HfTe5 is investigated via first‐principles calculations. Te vacancies serve two purposes: modification of the cell volume via effective compressive strain and production of local changes to the electronic structure. The reorganization of the electronic structure near the Fermi energy indicates that Te vacancies can rationalize conflicting reports in spectroscopic and transport measurements that have remained elusive in prior first‐principles studies. These results show that Te vacancies contribute, in part, to the anomalous transport properties of ZrTe5 and HfTe5 but, critically, do not eliminate the possibility of a genuine manifestation of the chiral anomaly in these materials.

Robust negative longitudinal magnetoresistance and spin–orbit torque in sputtered Pt3Sn and Pt3SnxFe1-x topological semimetal

Contrary to topological insulators, topological semimetals possess a nontrivial chiral anomaly that leads to negative magnetoresistance and are hosts to both conductive bulk states and topological surface states with intriguing transport properties for spintronics. Here, we fabricate highly-ordered metallic Pt3Sn and Pt3SnxFe1-x thin films via sputtering technology. Systematic angular dependence (both in-plane and out-of-plane) study of magnetoresistance presents surprisingly robust quadratic and linear negative longitudinal magnetoresistance features for Pt3Sn and Pt3SnxFe1-x, respectively. We attribute the anomalous negative longitudinal magnetoresistance to the type-II Dirac semimetal phase (pristine Pt3Sn) and/or the formation of tunable Weyl semimetal phases through symmetry breaking processes, such as magnetic-atom doping, as confirmed by first-principles calculations. Furthermore, Pt3Sn and Pt3SnxFe1-x show the promising performance for facilitating the development of advanced spin-orbit torque devices. These results extend our understanding of chiral anomaly of topological semimetals and can pave the way for exploring novel topological materials for spintronic devices.

Impurity and dispersion effects on the linear magnetoresistance in the quantum limit

Magnetoresistance, that is, the change of the resistance with the magnetic field, is usually a quadratic function of the field strength. A linear magnetoresistance usually reveals extraordinary properties of a system. In the quantum limit where only the lowest Landau band is occupied, a quantum linear magnetoresistance was believed to be the signature of the Weyl fermions with 3D linear dispersion. Here, we comparatively investigate the quantum-limit magnetoresistance of systems with different band dispersions as well as different types of impurities. We find that the magnetoresistance can also be linear for the quadratic energy dispersion. We show that both longitudinal and transverse magnetoresistance can be linear if long-range-Gaussian-type impurities dominate, but Coulomb-type impurities can only induce linear transverse magnetoresistance. Moreover, we find a negative longitudinal magnetoresistance in massless Dirac fermions, regardless of the impurity type, as a result of the combined effect of the linear dispersion and the scattering mechanism. Our findings well explain some of the linear magnetoresistance observed in the experiments and provide insights to the understanding of quantum-limit magnetoresistance.

Robustness of semimetallic transport properties of TaAs against off-stoichiometric disorder

TaAs single crystals were grown by a standard chemical vapor transport method. The single-crystallinity and homogeneous distribution of elements were confirmed by transmission electron microscope and x-ray diffraction observations. Positron annihilation measurements revealed that the atomic vacancy concentration was kept below 10−5 at. %. However, inductively coupled plasma analysis showed an As-deficient (7–9 at. %) off-stoichiometry. First-principles calculations implied that the off-stoichiometry could be compensated for with excess Ta antisite defects, thereby inducing metallic states. Nevertheless, excellent semimetallic transport properties of a well-suppressed carrier density (≲1018 cm−3), ultrahigh carrier mobility (≳106 cm2/V/s), and large transverse magnetoresistance (>200000% at 9 T) with the quantum oscillation were obtained at 1.7 K. This indicated the robustness of semimetallic transport properties against the off-stoichiometric disorder and the quenching of metallic conduction associated with excess Ta atoms. The negative longitudinal magnetoresistance, which is considered evidence of a Weyl semimetal (chiral anomaly), was not observed. These data were discussed with theoretical calculations.

Fermiology of Chiral Cadmium Diarsenide CdAs2, a Candidate for Hosting Kramers-Weyl Fermions.

Nonmagnetic chiral crystals are a new class of systems hosting Kramers-Weyl Fermions, arising from the combination of structural chirality, spin-orbit coupling (SOC), and time-reversal symmetry. These materials exhibit nontrivial Fermi surfaces with SOC-induced Chern gaps over a wide energy range, leading to exotic transport and optical properties. In this study, we investigate the electronic structure and transport properties of CdAs2, a newly reported chiral material. We use synchrotron-based angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) and density functional theory (DFT) to determine the Fermiology of the (110)-terminated CdAs2 crystal. Our results, together with complementary magnetotransport measurements, suggest that CdAs2 is a promising candidate for novel topological properties protected by the structural chirality of the system. Our work sheds light on the details of the Fermi surface and topology for this chiral quantum material, providing useful information for engineering novel spintronic and optical devices based on quantized chiral charges, negative longitudinal magnetoresistance, and nontrivial Chern numbers.

Anomalous magnetothermoelectric behavior in massive Dirac materials

Extensive studies of electron transport in Dirac materials have shown positive magneto-resistance (MR) and positive magneto-thermopower (MTP) in a magnetic field perpendicular to the excitation current or thermal gradient. In contrast, measurements of electron transport often show a negative longitudinal MR and negative MTP for a magnetic field oriented along the excitation current or thermal gradient; this is attributed to the chiral anomaly in Dirac materials. Here, we report a very different magneto-thermoelectric transport behavior in the massive Dirac material ZrTe5. Although thin flakes show a commonly observed positive MR in a perpendicular magnetic field, distinct from other Dirac materials, we observe a sharp negative MTP. In a parallel magnetic field, we still observe a negative longitudinal MR, however, a remarkable positive MTP is observed for the fields parallel to the thermal gradients. Our theoretical calculations suggest that this anomalous magneto-thermoelectric behavior can be attributed to the screened Coulomb scattering. This work demonstrates the significance of impurity scattering in the electron transport of topological materials and provides deep insight into the novel magneto-transport phenomena in Dirac materials.

Negative magnetoresistance in antiferromagnetic topological insulating phase of GdxBi2−xTe3−ySey

Antiferromagnetic topological insulators have attracted great attention in the condensed matter physics owing to the fundamental interest in exotic quantum states and topological antiferromagnetic spintronics. Starting with the typical topological insulator of Bi2Te3, we introduced the magnetic order by substituting Gd at the Bi site and tuned the Fermi level by substituting Se at the Te site. That is, we prepared single crystals of GdxBi2−xTe3−ySey with various x (= 0.02 and 0.06) and y (= 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, and 1.5). The magnetic data revealed an antiferromagnetic order for x = 0.06, and the transport data manifested the charge neutral point at y = 0.7. Combining all these results together, the material with x = 0.06 and y = 0.7 is characterized as an antiferromagnetic topological insulator, where we observed exotic magnetotransport properties such as weak antilocalization and negative longitudinal magnetoresistance that are frequently analyzed as chiral anomalies in Weyl materials.

Positive longitudinal magnetoconductivity induced by chiral magnetic effect in mercury selenide

A negative longitudinal magnetoresistance without any sign of saturation was found in a non-centrosymmetric Weyl semimetal (WSM) candidate mercury selenide in an electron concentration range of 5.5 × 1015–1.7 × 1017 cm−3 and a temperature range of 0.33–150 K. The magnitude of the effect varies with a sample from 10% up to 30% in a magnetic field of 12 T at T = 150 K. Moreover, the positive contribution to magnetoconductivity has a characteristic quadratic dependence on the magnetic field, increasing with a charged center concentration at T = 150 K. The most likely explanation for the discovered longitudinal magnetoconductivity feature lies in the chiral magnetic effect, which is inherent to WSMs. The role of the Dyakonov–Perel mechanism in inter-nodal spin relaxation is discussed in regard to HgSe.

Unconventional magnetoresistance and electronic transition in Mn3Ge Weyl semimetal

Weyl semimetals are well known for their anomalous transport effects caused by a large fictitious magnetic field generated by the non-zero Berry curvature. We performed the analysis of the electrical transport measurements of the magnetic Weyl semimetal Mn$_{3}$Ge in the a-b and a-c plane. We have observed negative longitudinal magneto-resistance (LMR) at a low magnetic field ($B<1.5$ T) along all the axes. The high field LMR shows different behavior along x and z axes. A similar trend has been observed in the case of planar Hall effect (PHE) measurements as well. The nature of high field LMR along the x axis changes near 200 K. Dominant carrier concentration type, and metallic to semimetallic transition also occur near 200 K. These observations suggest two main conclusions: (i) The high field LMR in Mn$_3$Ge is driven by the metallic - semimetallic nature of the compound. (ii) Mn$_3$Ge compound goes through an electronic band topological transition near 200 K. Single crystal neutron diffraction does not show any change in the magnetic structure below 300 K. However, the in-plane lattice parameter (a) shows a maximum near 230 K. Therefore, it is possible that the change in electronic band structure near 200 K is driven by the a lattice parameter of the compound.

Nondivergent chiral charge pumping in Weyl semimetals

Recent studies suggest that the nonlinear transport properties in Weyl semimetal may be a measurable consequence of its chiral anomaly. Nonlinear responses in transport are estimated to be substantial, because in real materials such as TaAs or ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{x}$, the Fermi level resides near the Weyl nodes where the chiral charge pumping is said to diverge. However, this work presents semiclassical Boltzmann analysis that indicates that the chiral charge pumping is nondivergent even at the zero-temperature limit. We demonstrate that the divergence in a common semiclassical calculation scheme is not a problem of the scheme itself, but occurs because a commonly used approximation of the change in particle number breaks down near the Weyl nodes. Our result suggests the possibility that the nonlinear properties in Weyl semimetals can be overestimated, and it provides the validity condition for the conventional approximation. We also show the distinct Fermi level dependencies of the chiral magnetic effect and the negative longitudinal magnetoresistance, as a consequence of nondiverging chiral charge pumping.

Low-temperature transport properties of the intermetallic compound HoAgGe with a kagome spin-ice state

We study the magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, resistivity, and thermal conductivity of intermetallic HoAgGe single crystals at low temperatures and in magnetic fields along the $a$ and $c$ axis, while the electric and heat currents are along the $c$ axis. The magnetization curves show a series of metamagnetic transitions and small hysteresis at low field for $B\ensuremath{\parallel}a$, and a weak metamagnetic transition for $B\ensuremath{\parallel}c$, respectively. Both the magnetic susceptibility and $\ensuremath{\rho}(T)$ curve show anomalies at the antiferromagnetic transition (${T}_{\mathrm{N}}\ensuremath{\sim}11.3$ K) and spin reorientation transition ($\ensuremath{\sim}7$ K). In zero field and at very low temperatures, the electrons are found to be the main heat carriers. For $B\ensuremath{\parallel}a$, the $\ensuremath{\rho}(B)$ curves display large and positive transverse magnetoresistance (MR) with extraordinary field dependence between ${B}^{2}$ and $B$ linear, accompanied with anomalies at the metamagnetic transitions and low-field hysteresis; meanwhile, the $\ensuremath{\kappa}(B)$ mainly decrease with increasing field and display some anomalies at the metamagnetic transitions. For $B\ensuremath{\parallel}c$, there is weak and negative longitudinal MR while the $\ensuremath{\kappa}(B)$ show rather strong field dependence, indicating the role of phonon heat transport.

Possible Signatures of Chiral Anomaly in the Magnetoresistance of a Quasi‐2‐Dimensional Electron Gas at the Interface of LaVO3 and KTaO3

AbstractIn a Dirac semimetal, charges flow between two Weyl nodes when electric and magnetic fields (E||B) are parallel to each other manifesting interesting physical properties such as negative longitudinal magnetoresistance (NLMR), planar Hall effect (PHE). A co‐existence of weak antilocalization (WAL) is observed with large NLMR and an unusual Hall resistance with (B||E) configuration, at the conducting interface of LaVO3 (LVO) and KTaO3 (KTO). The full‐width half maxima of the depth of the conducting channel at the interface is estimated to be around 10 nm by using spectroscopy techniques of photoluminescence and time‐correlated single‐photon counting: suggesting a quasi‐2‐dimensional nature of the conducting electrons. The PHE exhibits oscillatory behavior as a function of the angle between E and B. Very similar temperature dependence of NLMR and PHE suggest a strong correlation among them.

Negative magnetoresistance and sign change of the planar Hall effect due to negative off-diagonal effective mass in Weyl semimetals

We theoretically investigated the magnetoresistance (MR) and planar Hall effect (PHE) in Weyl semimetals based on the semiclassical Boltzmann theory, focusing on the fine structure of the band dispersion. We identified that the negative longitudinal MR and sign change in the PHE occur because of the negative off-diagonal effective mass with no topological effects or chiral anomaly physics. Our results highlight the important role of the off-diagonal effective mass, which can cause anomalous galvanomagnetic effects. We propose that the PHE produces a dip in the temperature dependence, which enables the experimental detection of the singularity of effective mass, i.e., the Weyl point.

Coexistence of Kondo effect and Weyl semimetallic states in Mn-doped MnxVAl3 compounds

The strong correlation effect in Weyl semimetal is a critical issue in condensed matter physics. Recently, the Kondo effect in Weyl semimetal was theoretically proposed but not yet experimentally realized. Here we suggest a coexistence of the Weyl semimetal and Kondo effect in disordered Mn-doped MnxVAl3. Dilute Mn-doping in type-II Dirac semimetal VAl3 increases the chemical potential so that Dirac point is close to the Fermi energy and lifts band degeneracy, leading to the Weyl semimetal phase transition. We observed a Kondo effect, confirmed by the resistivity minimum at TK = 40 K, and logarithmic increase of electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat divided by temperature with a significant Sommerfeld coefficient at low temperature. The angle-resolved magnetoresistance has revealed the negative longitudinal magnetoresistance below Kondo temperature due to chiral anomaly in Mn-doped MnxVAl3. At low temperature below Kondo temperature (T ≤ TK), the exchange interaction by RKKY interaction in MnxVAl3 breaks time-reversal symmetry even in Kondo screening, resulting in the topological phase transition from Dirac to Weyl semimetal. This research shows the coexistence of the Kondo effect and Weyl semimetallic state as well as the temperature-induced topological phase transition.

Chiral anomaly in noncentrosymmetric systems induced by spin-orbit coupling

The chiral anomaly may be realized in condensed matter systems with pairs of Weyl points. Here we show that the chiral anomaly can be realized in diverse noncentrosymmetric systems even without Weyl point pairs when spin-orbit coupling induces nonzero Berry curvature flux through Fermi surfaces. This motivates the condensed matter chiral anomaly to be interpreted as a Fermi surface property rather than a Weyl point property. The spin-orbit-coupling-induced anomaly reproduces the well-known charge transport properties of the chiral anomaly such as the negative longitudinal magnetoresistance and the planar Hall effect in Weyl semimetals. Since it is of spin-orbit coupling origin, it also affects the spin transport and gives rise to anomaly-induced longitudinal spin currents and the magnetic spin Hall effect, which are absent in conventional Weyl semimetals.

Semiclassical magnetotransport including effects of Berry curvature and Lorentz force

In topological semimetals and insulators, negative longitudinal magnetoresistance and angle-dependent planar Hall effect have been reported arising from the Berry curvature. Using the Boltzmann transport theory, we present a closed-form expression for the nonequilibrium distribution function which includes both the effects of the Berry curvature and Lorentz force. Using this formulation, we obtain analytical expressions for conductivity and resistivity tensors in Weyl semimetals demonstrating a non-monotonic field dependence arising from the competition between the two effects.

Quantum contribution to magnetotransport in weak magnetic fields and negative longitudinal magnetoresistance

Longitudinal magnetoresistance (LMR) refers to the change in resistance due to a magnetic field when the current and the magnetic field are parallel to each other. For this to be nonzero in weak magnetic fields, kinetic theory stipulates that the electronic dispersion must satisfy certain conditions: it should either be sufficiently anisotropic or have topological features. The former results in a positive LMR, while the latter results in a negative LMR. Here, I propose a different mechanism that leads to LMR in any dispersion without a need to satisfy the above requirements. The mechanism is quantum in origin but is applicable in the said regime. It arises due to the change in the density of states with the magnetic field and is not kinetic in origin. Remarkably, LMR is found to be negative even if the dispersion is nontopological, provided it is nonparabolic. An analytical expression is derived for this contribution to LMR. It is found to depend on the orbital magnetic susceptibility. The analytical findings are confirmed by numerical calculations.

Magnetic Generation and Switching of Topological Quantum Phases in a Trivial Semimetal α−EuP3

Topological materials have drawn increasing attention owing to their rich quantum properties, as highlighted by a large intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in Weyl and nodal-line semimetals. However, the practical applications for topological electronics have been hampered by the difficulty in the external control of the band topology. Here we demonstrate a magnetic-field-induced switching of band topology in $\alpha{\mathrm{-EuP}}_3$, a magnetic semimetal with a layered crystal structure derived from black phosphorus. When the magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the single mirror plane of the monoclinic structure, a giant AHE signal abruptly emerges at a certain threshold magnetization value, giving rise to a prominently large anomalous Hall angle of $\left|\Theta_{\mathrm{AHE}}\right| \sim 20^{\circ}$. When the magnetic field is applied along the inter-layer direction, which breaks the mirror symmetry, the system shows a pronounced negative longitudinal magnetoresistance. On the basis of electronic structure calculations and symmetry considerations, these anomalous magneto-transport properties can be considered as manifestations of two distinct topological phases: topological nodal-line and Weyl semimetals, respectively. Notably, the nodal-line structure is composed of bands with the same spin character and spans a wide energy range around the Fermi level. These topological phases are stabilized via the exchange coupling between localized Eu-4$f$ moments and mobile carriers conducting through the phosphorus layers. Our findings provide a realistic solution for external manipulation of band topology, enriching the functional aspects of topological materials.

Magnetotransport studies of the Sb square-net compound LaAgSb2 under high pressure and rotating magnetic fields

Square-net-layered materials have attracted attention as an extended research platform of Dirac fermions and of exotic magnetotransport phenomena. In this study, we investigated the magnetotransport properties of $\mathrm{La}\mathrm{Ag}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{2}$, which has Sb-square-net layers and shows charge density wave (CDW) transitions at ambient pressure. The application of pressure suppresses the CDWs, and above a pressure of 3.2 GPa a normal metallic phase with no CDWs is realized. By utilizing a mechanical rotator combined with a high-pressure cell, we observed the angular dependence of the Shubnikov--de Haas (SdH) oscillation up to 3.5 GPa, and we confirmed the notable two-dimensional nature of the Fermi surface. In the normal metallic phase, we also observed a remarkable field-angular-dependent magnetoresistance (MR), which exhibited a ``butterflylike'' polar pattern. To understand these results, we theoretically calculated the Fermi surface and conductivity tensor at the normal metallic phase. We showed that the SdH frequency and Hall coefficient calculated based on the present Fermi surface model agree well with the experiment. The transport properties in the normal metallic phase are mostly dominated by the anisotropic Dirac band, which has the highest conductivity due to linear energy dispersions. We also proposed that momentum-dependent relaxation time plays an important role in the large transverse MR and negative longitudinal MR in the normal metallic phase, which is experimentally supported by the considerable violation of Kohler's scaling rule. Although quantitatively complete reproduction was not achieved, the calculation showed that the elemental features of the butterfly MR could be reasonably explained as the geometrical effect of the Fermi surface.