Abstract
Dirac and Weyl semimetals are 3D analogues of graphene in which crystalline symmetry protects the nodes against gap formation. Na3 Bi and Cd3As2 were predicted to be Dirac semimetals, and recently confirmed to be so by photoemission experiments. Several novel transport properties in a magnetic field have been proposed for Dirac semimetals. Here, we report a property of Cd3As2 that was unpredicted, namely a remarkable protection mechanism that strongly suppresses backscattering in zero magnetic field. In single crystals, the protection results in ultrahigh mobility, 9 × 106 cm2 V-1 s-1 at 5 K. Suppression of backscattering results in a transport lifetime 104 times longer than the quantum lifetime. The lifting of this protection by the applied magnetic field leads to a very large magnetoresistance. We discuss how this may relate to changes to the Fermi surface induced by the applied magnetic field.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 280-284 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Nature Materials |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2015 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Chemistry
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering
- General Materials Science