Nernst quantum oscillations in bulk semi-metals
arXiv:1010.4749 · doi:10.1088/0953-8984/23/9/094204
Abstract
With a widely available magnetic field of 10 T, one can attain the quantum limit in bismuth and graphite. At zero magnetic field, these two elemental semi-metals host a dilute liquid of carriers of both signs. When the quantum limit is attained, all quasi-particles are confined to a few Landau tubes. Each time a Landau tube is squeezed before definitely leaving the Fermi surface, the Nernst response sharply peaks. In bismuth, additional Nernst peaks, unexpected in the non-interacting picture, are resolved beyond the quantum limit. The amplitude of these unexpected Nernst peaks is larger in the samples with the longest electron mean-free-path.
Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter's special issue on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems(SCES)