Magnetotransport of single crystalline YSb

TL;DR

This study investigates the magnetotransport properties of single crystalline YSb, revealing large non-saturating magnetoresistance, complex Hall effect behavior, and electronic structure insights, suggesting YSb as a compensated semimetal with potential surface conduction effects.

Contribution

First comprehensive magnetotransport and electronic structure analysis of YSb, highlighting its large magnetoresistance and semimetallic nature, with comparisons to related compounds.

Findings

Magnetoresistance reaches 75,000% at 1.8 K without saturation.

Hall coefficient changes sign with temperature, indicating multiple carrier types.

Electronic structure similar to LaSb and LaBi, with larger Fermi surfaces.

Abstract

We report magnetic field dependent transport measurements on a single crystal of cubic YSb together with first principles calculations of its electronic structure. The transverse magnetoresistance does not saturate up to 9 T and attains a value of 75,000 % at 1.8 K. The Hall coefficient is electron-like at high temperature, changes sign to hole-like between 110 and 50 K, and again becomes electron-like below 50 K. First principles calculations show that YSb is a compensated semimetal with a qualitatively similar electronic structure to that of isostructural LaSb and LaBi, but with larger Fermi surface volume. The measured electron carrier density and Hall mobility calculated at 1.8 K, based on a single band approximation, are 6.5$\times10^{20}/$cm$^{3}$ and 6.2$\times10^{4}$cm$^{2}$/Vs, respectively. These values are comparable with those reported for LaBi and LaSb. Like LaBi and LaSb, YSb undergoes a magnetic field-induced metal-insulator-like transition below a characteristic temperature T$_{m}$, with resistivity saturation below 13 K. Thickness dependent electrical resistance measurements show a deviation of the resistance behavior from that expected for a normal metal; however, they do not unambiguously establish surface conduction as the mechanism for the resistivity plateau.