Thermodynamic evidence for valley-dependent density of states in bulk bismuth

TL;DR

This study reveals that in bulk bismuth, the density of states at the Fermi level varies among the three electron valleys under high magnetic fields, indicating a symmetry-breaking effect not explained by non-interacting electron models.

Contribution

The paper provides the first thermodynamic evidence of valley-dependent density of states in bulk bismuth, highlighting interaction effects near the Fermi level.

Findings

Electron valleys have identical spectra but different densities of states.

The electron fluid breaks lattice rotational symmetry at low temperature and high magnetic field.

The effect resembles a Coulomb pseudo-gap near the Fermi level.

Abstract

Electron-like carriers in bismuth are described by the Dirac Hamiltonian, with a band mass becoming a thousandth of the bare electron mass along one crystalline axis. The existence of three anisotropic valleys offers electrons an additional degree of freedom, a subject of recent attention. Here, we map the Landau spectrum by angle-resolved magnetostriction, and quantify the carrier number in each valley: while the electron valleys keep identical spectra, they substantially differ in their density of states at the Fermi level. Thus, the electron fluid does not keep the rotational symmetry of the lattice at low temperature and high magnetic field, even in the absence of internal strain. This effect, reminiscent of the Coulomb pseudo-gap in localized electronic states, affects only electrons in the immediate vicinity of the Fermi level. It presents the most striking departure from the non-interacting picture of electrons in bulk bismuth.