Transport and magnetotransport in 3D Weyl Semimetals

TL;DR

This paper provides a theoretical analysis of transport and magnetotransport in 3D Weyl semimetals, predicting a transition from quadratic to linear magnetoresistance and aligning with recent experimental findings.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive theoretical framework connecting low and high carrier density conductivities and predicts magnetoresistance behavior in Weyl semimetals.

Findings

Transition from quadratic to linear magnetoresistance with increasing magnetic field

Magnetoresistance magnitude exceeds 10 for realistic parameters

Quantitative agreement with recent experimental observations

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the transport and magnetotransport properties of three-dimensional Weyl semimetals. Using the RPA-Boltzmann transport scattering theory for electrons scattering off randomly distributed charged impurities, together with an effective medium theory to average over the resulting spatially inhomogeneous carrier density, we smoothly connect our results for the minimum conductivity near the Weyl point with known results for the conductivity at high carrier density. In the presence of a non-quantizing magnetic field, we predict that for both high and low carrier densities, Weyl semimetals show a transition from quadratic magnetoresistance (MR) at low magnetic fields to linear MR at high magnetic fields, and that the magnitude of the MR > 10 for realistic parameters. Our results are in quantitative agreement with recent unexpected experimental observations on the mixed-chalcogenide compound TlBiSSe.