Sign reversal of magnetoresistivity in massive nodal-line semimetals due to Lifshitz transition of Fermi surface

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a Lifshitz transition in the Fermi surface of massive nodal-line semimetals causes a sign reversal in magnetoresistivity, linking Fermi surface topology changes to transport properties.

Contribution

It reveals a novel mechanism where Fermi surface deformation due to magnetic field induces MR sign reversal, highlighting the role of Lifshitz transition in topological semimetals.

Findings

Small Fermi surface deformation leads to positive quadratic MR.

At a critical magnetic field, a Lifshitz transition causes MR sign reversal.

Temperature dependence of MR differs before and after the transition.

Abstract

Topological nodal-line semimetals offer an interesting research platform to explore novel phenomena associated with its torus-shaped Fermi surface. Here, we study magnetotransport in the massive nodal-line semimetal with spin-orbit coupling and finite Berry curvature distribution which exists in many candidates. The magnetic field leads to a deformation of the Fermi torus through its coupling to the orbital magnetic moment, which turns out to be the main scenario of the magnetoresistivity (MR) induced by the Berry curvature effect. We show that a small deformation of the Fermi surface yields a positive MR $\propto B^2$, different from the negative MR by pure Berry curvature effect in other topological systems. As the magnetic field increases to a critical value, a topological Lifshitz transition of the Fermi surface can be induced, and the MR inverts its sign at the same time. The temperature dependence of the MR is investigated, which shows a totally different behavior before and after the Lifshitz transition. Our work uncovers a novel scenario of the MR induced solely by the deformation of the Fermi surface and establishes a relation between the Fermi surface topology and the sign of the MR.