Negative Magnetoresistance in Dirac Semimetal Cd3As2

TL;DR

This study reports the observation of large negative magnetoresistance in Cd3As2 Dirac semimetal microribbons under parallel magnetic and electric fields, attributed to the chiral anomaly, with implications for topological semimetal applications.

Contribution

First experimental demonstration of negative magnetoresistance in Cd3As2 under parallel fields, confirming the chiral anomaly in a topological semimetal.

Findings

Negative magnetoresistance up to 66% at 50 K

Sensitivity of magnetoresistance to angle and carrier density

Presence of positive linear magnetoresistance in perpendicular configuration

Abstract

A large negative magnetoresistance is anticipated in topological semimetals in the parallel magnetic and electric field configuration as a consequence of the nontrivial topological properties. The negative magnetoresistance is believed to demonstrate the chiral anomaly, a long-sought high-energy physics effect, in solid-state systems. Recent experiments reveal that Cd3As2, a Dirac topological semimetal, has the record-high mobility and exhibits positive linear magnetoresistance in the orthogonal magnetic and electric field configuration. However, the negative magnetoresistance in the parallel magnetic and electric field configuration remains unveiled. Here, we report the observation of the negative magnetoresistance in Cd3As2 microribbons in the parallel magnetic and electric field configuration as large as 66% at 50 K and even visible at room temperatures. The observed negative magnetoresistance is sensitive to the angle between magnetic and electrical field, robust against temperature, and dependent on the carrier density. We have found that carrier densities of our Cd3As2 samples obey an Arrhenius's law, decreasing from 3.0x10^17 cm^-3 at 300 K to 2.2x10^16 cm^-3 below 50 K. The low carrier densities result in the large values of the negative magnetoresistance. We therefore attribute the observed negative magnetoresistance to the chiral anomaly. Furthermore, in the perpendicular magnetic and electric field configuration a positive non-saturating linear magnetoresistance up to 1670% at 14 T and 2 K is also observed. This work demonstrates potential applications of topological semimetals in magnetic devices.