Nonlinear magnetotransport shaped by Fermi surface topology and convexity

Abstract

The nature of Fermi surface defines the physical properties of conductors and many physical phenomena can be traced to its shape. Although the recent discovery of a current-dependent nonlinear magnetoresistance in spin-polarized non-magnetic materials has attracted considerable attention in spintronics, correlations between this phenomenon and the underlying fermiology remain unexplored. Here, we report the observation of nonlinear magnetoresistance at room temperature in a semimetal WTe 2 , with an interesting temperature-driven inversion. Theoretical calculations reproduce the nonlinear transport measurements and allow us to attribute the inversion to temperature-induced changes in Fermi surface convexity. We also report a large anisotropy of nonlinear magnetoresistance in WTe 2 , due to its low symmetry of Fermi surfaces. The good agreement between experiments and theoretical modeling reveals the critical role of Fermi surface topology and convexity on the nonlinear magneto-response. These results lay a new path to explore ramifications of distinct fermiology for nonlinear transport in condensed-matter. © 2019, The Author(s).