An electronic instability in bismuth far beyond the quantum limit

TL;DR

This study reveals a new electronic instability in bismuth at high magnetic fields, significantly affecting its transport properties and indicating complex ultraquantum behavior beyond previously known regimes.

Contribution

It uncovers a previously unknown electronic instability in bismuth at around 40 T, extending understanding of its ultraquantum electronic phases.

Findings

Discovery of a new field scale at ~40 T in bismuth

Anomalies in conductivity and thermoelectric response

Enhanced metallic behavior deep in the ultraquantum regime

Abstract

We present a transport study of semi-metallic bismuth in presence of a magnetic field applied along the trigonal axis extended to 55 T for electric conductivity and to 45 T for thermoelectric response. The results uncover a new field scale at about 40 T in addition to the previously detected ones. Large anomalies in all transport properties point to an intriguing electronic instability deep in the ultraquantum regime. Unexpectedly, both the sheer magnitude of conductivity and its metallic temperature dependence are enhanced by this instability.