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Emptying Dirac valleys in bismuth using high magnetic fields

Author

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  • Zengwei Zhu

    (Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
    MS-E536, NHMFL, Los Alamos National Laboratory)

  • Jinhua Wang

    (Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology)

  • Huakun Zuo

    (Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology)

  • Benoît Fauqué

    (Laboratoire Physique et Etude de Matériaux (CNRS-UPMC) ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University
    JEIP, USR 3573 CNRS, Collège de France, PSL Research University)

  • Ross D. McDonald

    (MS-E536, NHMFL, Los Alamos National Laboratory)

  • Yuki Fuseya

    (University of Electro-Communications)

  • Kamran Behnia

    (Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
    Laboratoire Physique et Etude de Matériaux (CNRS-UPMC) ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University)

Abstract

The Fermi surface of elemental bismuth consists of three small rotationally equivalent electron pockets, offering a valley degree of freedom to charge carriers. A relatively small magnetic field can confine electrons to their lowest Landau level. This is the quantum limit attained in other dilute metals upon application of sufficiently strong magnetic field. Here we report on the observation of another threshold magnetic field never encountered before in any other solid. Above this field, Bempty, one or two valleys become totally empty. Drying up a Fermi sea by magnetic field in the Brillouin zone leads to a manyfold enhancement in electric conductance. We trace the origin of the large drop in magnetoresistance across Bempty to transfer of carriers between valleys with highly anisotropic mobilities. The non-interacting picture of electrons with field-dependent mobility explains most results but the Coulomb interaction may play a role in shaping the fine details.

Suggested Citation

  • Zengwei Zhu & Jinhua Wang & Huakun Zuo & Benoît Fauqué & Ross D. McDonald & Yuki Fuseya & Kamran Behnia, 2017. "Emptying Dirac valleys in bismuth using high magnetic fields," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-7, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms15297
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15297
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    Cited by:

    1. S. Galeski & H. F. Legg & R. Wawrzyńczak & T. Förster & S. Zherlitsyn & D. Gorbunov & M. Uhlarz & P. M. Lozano & Q. Li & G. D. Gu & C. Felser & J. Wosnitza & T. Meng & J. Gooth, 2022. "Signatures of a magnetic-field-induced Lifshitz transition in the ultra-quantum limit of the topological semimetal ZrTe5," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    2. Woun Kang & Felix Spathelf & Benoît Fauqué & Yuki Fuseya & Kamran Behnia, 2022. "Boundary conductance in macroscopic bismuth crystals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.

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