Infrared probe of the anomalous magnetotransport of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite in the extreme quantum limit

TL;DR

This study investigates the magnetoreflectance of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite in high magnetic fields, revealing a linear inverse lifetime dependence that explains the anomalous linear in-plane magnetoresistance observed in graphite.

Contribution

It provides the first systematic measurement linking Landau level lifetimes to magnetoresistance behavior in graphite under extreme quantum conditions.

Findings

Inverse lifetime 1/tau(B) is linearly dependent on magnetic field B.

Supports the 3D to 1D crossover hypothesis in graphite.

Explains the origin of the anomalous linear magnetoresistance.

Abstract

We present a systematic investigation of the magnetoreflectance of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite in magnetic field B up to 18 T . From these measurements, we report the determination of lifetimes tau associated with the lowest Landau levels in the quantum limit. We find a linear field dependence for inverse lifetime 1/tau(B) of the lowest Landau levels, which is consistent with the hypothesis of a three-dimensional (3D) to 1D crossover in an anisotropic 3D metal in the quantum limit. This enigmatic result uncovers the origin of the anomalous linear in-plane magnetoresistance observed both in bulk graphite and recently in mesoscopic graphite samples.