Spinor-dominated magnetoresistance in β-Ag2Se

Abstract A topological insulator is a quantum material which possesses conducting surfaces and an insulating bulk. Despite extensive researches on the properties of Dirac surface states, the characteristics of bulk states have remained largely unexplored. Here we report the observation of spinor-dom...

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Main Authors: Cheng-Long Zhang, Yilin Zhao, Yiyuan Chen, Ziquan Lin, Sen Shao, Zhen-Hao Gong, Junfeng Wang, Hai-Zhou Lu, Guoqing Chang, Shuang Jia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-12-01
Series:Communications Physics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-024-01872-7
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author Cheng-Long Zhang
Yilin Zhao
Yiyuan Chen
Ziquan Lin
Sen Shao
Zhen-Hao Gong
Junfeng Wang
Hai-Zhou Lu
Guoqing Chang
Shuang Jia
author_facet Cheng-Long Zhang
Yilin Zhao
Yiyuan Chen
Ziquan Lin
Sen Shao
Zhen-Hao Gong
Junfeng Wang
Hai-Zhou Lu
Guoqing Chang
Shuang Jia
author_sort Cheng-Long Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract A topological insulator is a quantum material which possesses conducting surfaces and an insulating bulk. Despite extensive researches on the properties of Dirac surface states, the characteristics of bulk states have remained largely unexplored. Here we report the observation of spinor-dominated magnetoresistance anomalies in β-Ag2Se, induced by a magnetic-field-driven band topological phase transition. These anomalies are caused by intrinsic orthogonality in the wave-function spinors of the last Landau bands of the bulk states, in which backscattering is strictly forbidden during a band topological phase transition. This new type of longitudinal magnetoresistance, purely controlled by the wave-function spinors of the last Landau bands, highlights a unique signature of electrical transport around the band topological phase transition. With further reducing the quantum limit and gap size in β-Ag2Se, our results may also suggest possible device applications based on this spinor-dominated mechanism and signify a rare case where topology enters the realm of magnetoresistance control.
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spelling doaj-art-0b9edef125964e4e9d8fb24d98690c032025-08-20T02:20:48ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Physics2399-36502024-12-01711610.1038/s42005-024-01872-7Spinor-dominated magnetoresistance in β-Ag2SeCheng-Long Zhang0Yilin Zhao1Yiyuan Chen2Ziquan Lin3Sen Shao4Zhen-Hao Gong5Junfeng Wang6Hai-Zhou Lu7Guoqing Chang8Shuang Jia9Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesDivision of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological UniversityDepartment of Physics and Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and TechnologyWuhan National High Magnetic Field Center and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyDivision of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological UniversityDepartment of Physics and Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and TechnologyWuhan National High Magnetic Field Center and School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Physics and Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDivision of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological UniversityInternational Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking UniversityAbstract A topological insulator is a quantum material which possesses conducting surfaces and an insulating bulk. Despite extensive researches on the properties of Dirac surface states, the characteristics of bulk states have remained largely unexplored. Here we report the observation of spinor-dominated magnetoresistance anomalies in β-Ag2Se, induced by a magnetic-field-driven band topological phase transition. These anomalies are caused by intrinsic orthogonality in the wave-function spinors of the last Landau bands of the bulk states, in which backscattering is strictly forbidden during a band topological phase transition. This new type of longitudinal magnetoresistance, purely controlled by the wave-function spinors of the last Landau bands, highlights a unique signature of electrical transport around the band topological phase transition. With further reducing the quantum limit and gap size in β-Ag2Se, our results may also suggest possible device applications based on this spinor-dominated mechanism and signify a rare case where topology enters the realm of magnetoresistance control.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-024-01872-7
spellingShingle Cheng-Long Zhang
Yilin Zhao
Yiyuan Chen
Ziquan Lin
Sen Shao
Zhen-Hao Gong
Junfeng Wang
Hai-Zhou Lu
Guoqing Chang
Shuang Jia
Spinor-dominated magnetoresistance in β-Ag2Se
Communications Physics
title Spinor-dominated magnetoresistance in β-Ag2Se
title_full Spinor-dominated magnetoresistance in β-Ag2Se
title_fullStr Spinor-dominated magnetoresistance in β-Ag2Se
title_full_unstemmed Spinor-dominated magnetoresistance in β-Ag2Se
title_short Spinor-dominated magnetoresistance in β-Ag2Se
title_sort spinor dominated magnetoresistance in β ag2se
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-024-01872-7
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