Quantum Geometric Renormalization of the Hall Coefficient and Unconventional Hall Resistivity in ZrTe5

TL;DR

This paper investigates the unconventional Hall effect in nonmagnetic ZrTe5, revealing how quantum geometric effects and disorder influence Hall responses across different regimes, with implications for understanding AHE in topological materials.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum geometric renormalization framework for the Hall coefficient in ZrTe5, highlighting the transition from semiclassical to quantum regimes and the role of disorder and quantum effects.

Findings

Hall resistivity is linear in B in semiclassical regime

Hall coefficient is renormalized by quantum geometric effects at low densities

Hall conductivity exhibits 1/B scaling in quantum limit

Abstract

The anomalous Hall effect (AHE), conventionally associated with time-reversal symmetry breaking in ferromagnetic materials, has recently been observed in nonmagnetic topological materials, raising questions about its origin. We unravel the unconventional Hall response in the nonmagnetic Dirac material ZrTe5, known for its massive Dirac bands and unique electronic and transport properties. Using the Kubo-Streda formula within the Landau level framework, we explore the interplay of quantum effects induced by the magnetic field (B) and disorder across the semiclassical and quantum regimes. In the semiclassical regime, the Hall resistivity remains linear in the magnetic field, but the Hall coefficient will be renormalized by the quantum geometric effects and electron-hole coherence, especially at low carrier densities where the disorder scattering dominates. In quantum limit, the Hall conductivity exhibits an unsaturating 1/B scaling. As a result, the transverse conductivity dominates transport in the ultra-quantum limit, and the Hall resistivity crosses over from B to B^{-1} dependence as the system transitions from the semiclassical regime to the quantum limit. This work elucidates the mechanisms underlying the unconventional Hall effect in ZrTe5 and provides insights into the AHE in other nonmagnetic Dirac materials as well.