Argonne National Laboratory

Research Highlight | Materials Science

Distinct electronic structure for the extreme magnetoresistance in YSb
In a study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers revealed that a cooperative action of a substantial difference between electron and hole mobility and a moderate carrier compensation might contribute to the extreme magnetoresistance in YSb.
Fermi surface and band structure of YSb. (a),(b) Calculated band structure along X-Γ-X and W-X-W. The holelike and electronlike bands are plotted in black and red, respectively. There are two holelike bands (α, β) and one electronlike band (γ) crossing the Fermi level. Dashed lines indicate selected folded bands (FB) from the calculation. The calculated chemical potential has been shifted up by 50 meV to fit the experiment. (c) Calculated Fermi surface shown in the 3D FCC Brillouin zone.

Scientific Achievement

We have discovered a new mechanism for the extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) of order 105% recently reported in rocksalt-structure, nonmagnetic semimetals. Under this mechanism, rather than deriving from topological protection or perfect carrier compensation, XMR can also result from the cooperative action of a substantial difference in hole and electron mobility under moderate carrier compensation.

Significance and Impact

This work challenges prevailing views that topologically nontrivial electronic states or perfect carrier compensation are the exclusive mechanisms for XMR.

Research Details

  • Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies on high quality single crystals show no fingerprints of topologically nontrivial states such as Dirac or Weyl points, in agreement with first-principles density functional theory calculations.
  • Measured Fermi surface allows quantitative estimates of electron and hole concentrations.
  • Two-band model, constrained by ARPES charge concentrations, leads to XMR and excellent agreement with measured magnetotransport data.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.267201

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