Negative magnetoresistance from the anomalous N=0 Landau level in topological materials

ORAL

Abstract

Negative longitudinal magnetoresistance (NLMR) is shown to occur in topological materials in the extreme quantum limit, when a magnetic field is applied parallel to the excitation current. We perform pulsed and dc field measurements on Pb1−xSnxSe epilayers where the topological state can be chemically tuned. The NLMR is observed in the topological state, but is suppressed and becomes positive when the system becomes trivial. In a topological material, the lowest N = 0 conduction Landau level disperses down in energy as a function of increasing magnetic field, while the N = 0 valence Landau level disperses upwards. This anomalous behavior is shown to be responsible for the observed NLMR. Our work provides an explanation of the outstanding question of NLMR in topological insulators and establishes this effect as a possible hallmark of bulk conduction in topological matter.

*ANR LabEx grant ENS-ICFP (ANR-10-LABX-0010/ANR-10-IDEX-0001-02 PSL) and the Austrian Science Fund ProjectSFB F2504-N17 IRON.

Presenters

  • Badih Assaf

    • Physics, Univ of Illinois
    • Department of Physics, Ecole Normale Supérieure

Authors

  • Badih Assaf

    • Physics, Univ of Illinois
    • Department of Physics, Ecole Normale Supérieure
  • Thanyanan Phuphachong

    • Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UPMC, CNRS
  • Kampert Erik

    • Dresden High Magnetic Fields Lab, HZDR
  • Valentine Volobuev

    • Institut für Halbleiter und Festkörperphysik, Johannes Kepler University
  • Partha Mandal

    • Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
  • Jaime Sanchez-Barriga

    • Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
  • Oliver Rader

    • Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
    • Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
  • Guenther Bauer

    • Johannes Kepler Universität
    • Institut für Halbleiter und Festkörperphysik, Johannes Kepler University
  • Gunther Springholz

    • Johannes Kepler Institute
    • Johannes Kepler Universität
    • Institut für Halbleiter und Festkörperphysik, Johannes Kepler University
  • Louis-Anne de Vaulchier

    • Physics, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris
    • Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UPMC, CNRS
  • Yves Guldner

    • Physics, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris
    • Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UPMC, CNRS