Resistivity Anomaly in Weyl Semimetal candidate Molybdenum Telluride

TL;DR

This study investigates the resistivity anomaly in MoTe₂, a Weyl semimetal candidate, revealing an anisotropic 13% resistivity change between 25-50 K linked to defects, supported by experimental and theoretical analysis.

Contribution

It reports a significant anisotropic resistivity anomaly in MoTe₂ and suggests defect-related origins, combining experimental measurements with density functional theory calculations.

Findings

Resistivity anomaly of up to 13% between 25-50 K

Anisotropic resistivity behavior observed

Defects likely contribute to the anomaly

Abstract

The Weyl semi-metal candidate MoTe$_{2}$ is expected to exhibit a range of exotic electronic transport properties. It exhibits a structural phase transition near room temperature that is evident in the thermal hysteresis in resistivity and thermopower (Seebeck coefficient) as well as large spin-orbit interaction. Here, we also document a resistivity anomaly of up to 13% in the temperature window between 25 and 50 K, which is found to be strongly anisotropic. Based on the experimental data in conjunction with density functional theory calculations, we conjecture that the anomaly can be related to the presence of defects in the system. These findings open opportunities for further investigations and understanding of the transport behavior in these newly discovered semi-metallic layered systems.