Ordinary and extraordinary Coulomb blockade magnetoresistance in a (Ga, Mn)As single electron transistor

In the conventional Ohmic regime, magnetoresistance effects comprise the ordinary responses to the external magnetic field and extraordinary responses to the internal magnetization. Here we study magnetoresistance effects in the Coulomb blockade regime using a ferromagnetic (Ga, Mn)As single electron transistor. We report measurements of the magneto-Coulomb blockade effect due to the direct coupling of high external magnetic fields and the Coulomb blockade anisotropic magnetoresistance associated with magnetization rotations in the ferromagnet. The latter, extraordinary magnetoresistance effect is characterized by low-field hysteretic magnetoresistance which can exceed three orders of magnitude. The sign and size of this magnetoresistance signal is controlled by the gate voltage, and the data are interpreted in terms of anisotropic electrochemical shifts induced by magnetization reorientations. Non-volatile transistor-like applications of the Coulomb blockade anisotropic magnetoresistance are briefly discussed.     

Andreev reflection at high magnetic fields: evidence for electron and hole transport in edge states

We have studied magnetotransport in arrays of niobium filled grooves in an InAs/Al(x)Ga(1-x)Sb heterostructure. The critical field of up to 2.6 T permits one to enter the quantum Hall regime. In the superconducting state, we observe strong magnetoresistance oscillations, whose amplitude exceeds the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations by a factor of about 2, when normalized to the background. Additionally, we find that above a geometry-dependent magnetic field value the sample in the superconducting state has a higher longitudinal resistance than in the normal state. Both observations can be explained with edge channels populated with electrons and Andreev-reflected holes.     

Negative magnetoresistance of a high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas in a nonlinear regime

The effect of the measuring current I_dc on the magnetoresistance (MR) of a high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in a GaAs quantum well with AlAs/GaAs superlattice barriers has been studied. It has been found that, as I_dc increases, the MR of the 2DEG in the studied structures becomes negative in the range of classically strong magnetic fields. It has been shown that the observed negative MR is due to the transport of the 2DEG in the nonlinear regime.     

Magnetic breakdown in the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd(2-x)Ce(x)CuO4: the reconstructed Fermi surface survives in the strongly overdoped regime

We report on semiclassical angle-dependent magnetoresistance oscillations and the Shubnikov-de Haas effect in the electron-overdoped cuprate superconductor Nd(2-x)CexCuO4. Our data provide convincing evidence for magnetic breakdown in the system. This shows that a reconstructed multiply connected Fermi surface persists, at least at strong magnetic fields, up to the highest doping level of the superconducting regime.     

Low-field magnetoresistance of strongly modulated two-dimensional electron gas

The typical form of the low-field magnetoresistance anomaly induced by a strong one-dimensional periodic modulation of the background potential is described. It is shown that the magnetoresistance peak due to the magnetic breakdown is always followed by a resistance increase at higher magnetic fields, for which οcτ > 1.     

Crossover from weak localization to Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in a high-mobility 2D electron gas

We study the magnetoresistance deltarho(xx)(B)/rho(0) of a high-mobility 2D electron gas in the domain of magnetic fields B, intermediate between the weak localization and the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, where deltarho(xx)(B)/rho(0) is governed by the interaction effects. Assuming short-range impurity scattering, we demonstrate that in the second order in the interaction parameter lambda a linear B dependence, deltarho(xx)(B)/rho(0) approximately lambda(2)omega(c)/E(F) with a temperature-independent slope, emerges in this domain of B (here omega(c) and E(F) are the cyclotron frequency and the Fermi energy, respectively). Unlike previous mechanisms, the linear magnetoresistance is unrelated to the electron executing the full Larmour circle, but rather originates from the impurity scattering via the B dependence of the phase of the impurity-induced Friedel oscillations.     

Magnetoresistance of a Two-Dimensional TbTe<Subscript>3</Subscript> Conductor in the Sliding Charge-Density Wave Regime

The magnetoresistance of a TbTe₃ two-dimensional conductor with a charge-density wave (CDW) has been measured in a wide temperature range and in magnetic fields of up to 17 T. At temperatures well below the Peierls transition temperature and in high magnetic fields, the magnetoresistance exhibits a linear dependence on the magnetic field caused by the scattering of normal charge carriers by “hot” spots of the Fermi surface. In the sliding CDW regime in low magnetic fields, a qualitative change in the magnetoresistance has been observed associated with the strong scattering of carriers by the sliding CDW.     

Large positive magnetoresistance of insulating organic crystals in the non-ohmic region

We report a large positive magnetoresistance ratio in insulating organic crystals theta-(ET)(2)CsZn(SCN)(4) at low temperatures at which they exhibit highly nonlinear current-voltage characteristics. Despite the nonlinearity, the magnetoresistance ratio is independent of the applied voltage. The magnetoresistance ratio depends little on the magnetic field direction and is described by a simple universal function of mu(B)B/k(B)T, where mu(B) is the Bohr magneton. The positive magnetoresistance may be caused by magnetic-field-induced parallel alignment of spins of mobile and localized electrons, and a resulting blockade of electrical conduction due to the Pauli exclusion principle.     

Suppression of ferromagnetic double exchange by vibronic phase segregation

From Raman spectroscopy, magnetization, and thermal expansion on the system La(2/3)(Ca(1-x)Sr(x))(1/3)MnO3, we have been able to provide a quantitative basis for the heterogeneous electronic model for manganites exhibiting colossal magnetoresistance (CMR). We construct a mean-field model that accounts quantitatively for the measured deviation of T(C)(x) from the T(C) predicted by de Gennes double-exchange in the adiabatic approximation and predicts the occurrence of a first-order transition for a strong coupling regime, in accordance with the experiments. The existence of a temperature interval T(C) < T < T*, where CMR may be found, is discussed in connection with the occurrence of an idealized Griffiths phase.     

Effect of an in-plane magnetic field on magnetoresistance hysteresis of the two-dimensional electron gas in the integer quantum Hall effect regime

Effect of an in-plane magnetic field on the features of the magnetoresistance of a narrow conducting channel placed in the bath of a macroscopic two-dimensional electron gas has been studied. These features are manifested in the hysteretic behavior of the magnetoresistance in the quantum Hall effect regime. It has been found that the hysteresis loops observed in different ranges of the filling factor may be separated into two groups that differ in both the response to the in-plane magnetic field and the temperature dependence. The basic features observed near the integer filling factors ν = 1 and 2 are almost independent of the in-plane magnetic field. Therefore, their origin is not associated with spin effects. At the same time, additional features that appear at ν ≈ 1.8 and 2.2 are suppressed by the in-plane magnetic field B _‖ ≈ 6 T and almost temperature-independent from 45 mK to 1 K.     

Localization length in anderson insulator with Kondo impurities

The localization length, xi, in a two-dimensional Anderson insulator depends on the electron spin scattering rate by magnetic impurities, tau(-1)(s). For antiferromagnetic sign of the exchange, the time tau(s) is itself a function of xi, due to the Kondo correlations. We demonstrate that the unitary regime of localization is impossible when the concentration of magnetic impurities, n(M), is smaller than a critical value, n(c). For n(M)>n(c), the dependence of xi on the dimensionless conductance, g, is reentrant, crossing over to unitary, and back to orthogonal behavior upon increasing g. Sensitivity of Kondo correlations to a weak parallel magnetic field results in a giant parallel magnetoresistance.     

Electric-tunable magnetoresistance effect in a two-dimensional electron gas modulated by hybrid magnetic-electric barrier nanostructure

The electric-tunable spin-independent magnetoresistance effect has been theoretically investigated in ballistic regime within a two-dimensional electron gas modulated by magnetic-electric barrier nanostructure. By including the omitted stray field in previous investigations on analogous structures, it is demonstrated based on this improved approximation that the magnetoresistance ratio for the considered structure can be efficiently enhanced by a proper electric barrier up to the maximum value depending on the specific magnetic suppression. Besides, it is also shown the introduction of positive electrostatic modulation can effectively overcome the degradation of magnetoresistance ratio for asymmetric configuration and enhance the visibility of periodic pattern induced by the size effect, while for an opposite modulation the system magnetoresistance ratio concerned may change its sign.     

Two-dimensional electron gas in a lattice of antidots with a period of 80 nm

The magnetotransport in a two-dimensional electron gas with a lattice of antidots, which has a record-breaking small (80 nm) period and size (20–40 nm) of antidots comparable with the de Broglie wavelength of electrons, has been experimentally studied. A wide variety of new features of the magnetoresistance behavior has been observed both under semiclassical conditions and in the regime of quantizing magnetic fields. In particular, the anomalous semiclassical magnetoresistance peak induced by the nonmonotonic scattering effects has been revealed. The Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations have been revealed to exhibit an unusual transition from the anomalous period constant in the magnetic field to the normal constant in the inverse magnetic field. The effect of the generation and suppression of the oscillations has also been observed; this effect is induced by the transformation of the short and long-range scattering potentials in the lattice owing to the variation of the density of the two-dimensional electrons.     

The magnetotransport properties of the intermetallic compound GdCu6

We have studied the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the electrical resistivity of GdCu(6) and have co-related the results with the temperature dependence of heat capacity and magnetization. The magnetoresistance of GdCu(6) is found to be positive both in the paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic regimes. Within the antiferromagnetic regime, the magnetoresistance is very high and increases to still higher values both with increasing field and decreasing temperature. In the paramagnetic regime the magnetoresistance continues to exhibit a finite positive value up to temperatures much higher than that corresponding to the antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transition. We have shown through quantitative analysis that both the temperature dependences of resistivity and heat capacity indicate the presence of spin fluctuations within the paramagnetic regime of GdCu(6). The field dependence of electrical resistivity indicates that the positive magnetoresistance in the paramagnetic phase is not related to the orbital motion of the conduction electrons in a magnetic field (the Kohler rule). In contrast, our analysis indicates that these spin fluctuations are responsible for the positive magnetoresistance observed within this paramagnetic regime. The nature of the field dependence of electrical resistivity is found to be qualitatively similar both in the antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic regimes, which probably indicates that spin fluctuations in the paramagnetic regime are of the antiferromagnetic type.     

Quantum Hall ferromagnetism in the presence of tunable disorder

In this Letter, we report our recent experimental results on the energy gap of the ν=1 quantum Hall state (Δ(ν=1)) in a quantum antidot array sample, where the effective disorder potential can be tuned continuously. Δ(ν=1) is nearly constant at small effective disorders, and collapses at a critical disorder. Moreover, in the weak disorder regime, Δ(ν=1) shows a B(total)(1/2) dependence in tilted magnetic field measurements, while in the strong disorder regime, Δ(ν=1) is linear in B(total), where B(total) is the total magnetic field at ν=1. We discuss our results within several models involving the quantum Hall ferromagnetic ground state and its interplay with sample disorder.     

Weak anisotropy and disorder dependence of the in-plane magnetoresistance in high-mobility (100) Si-inversion layers

We report studies of the magnetoresistance (MR) in a two-dimensional electron system in (100) Si-inversion layers, for perpendicular and parallel orientations of the current with respect to the magnetic field in the 2D plane. The magnetoresistance is almost isotropic; this result does not support the suggestion of its orbital origin. In the hopping regime, however, the MR contains a weak anisotropic component that is nonmonotonic in the magnetic field. We found that the field, at which the MR saturates, varies for different samples by a factor of 2 at a given carrier density. Therefore, the saturation of the MR cannot be identified with the complete spin polarization of free carriers.     

Quantum Hall effect in intentionally disordered two‐dimensional electron systems

In this work intentionally disordered two‐dimensional electron systems in modulation doped GaAs/GaAlAs heterostructures are studied by magnetotransport experiments. The disorder is provided by a δ‐doped layer of negatively charged beryllium acceptors. In low magnetic fields a strong negative magnetoresistance is observed that can be ascribed to magnetic‐field‐induced delocalization. At increased magnetic fields the quantum Hall effect exhibits broad Hall plateaus whose centers are shifted to higher magnetic fields, i.e. lower filling factors. This shift can be explained by an asymmetric density of states. Consistently, the transition into the insulating state of quantum Hall droplets in high magnetic fields occurs at critical filling factors around ν_c=0.4, i.e. well below the value 1/2 that is expected for symmetric disorder potentials. The insulator transition is characterized by the divergence of both the longitudinal resistance as well as the Hall resistance. This is contrary to other experiments which observe a finite Hall resistance in the insulating regime and has not been observed previously. According to recent theoretical studies the divergence of the Hall resistance points to quantum coherent transport via tunneling between quantum Hall droplets. The magnetotransport experiments are supplemented by simulations of potential landscapes for random and correlated distributions of repulsive scatterers, which enable the determination of percolation thresholds, densities of states, and oscillator strengths for far‐infrared excitations. These simulations reveal that the strong shift of the Hall plateaus and the observed critical filling factor for the insulator transition in high magnetic fields require an asymmetric density of states that can only be generated by a strongly correlated beryllium distribution. Cyclotron resonance on the same samples also indicates the possibility of correlations between the beryllium acceptors.     

Both electron and hole Dirac cone states in Ba(FeAs)2 confirmed by magnetoresistance

Quantum transport of Dirac cone states in the iron pnictide Ba(FeAs)(2) with a d-multiband system is studied by using single crystal samples. Transverse magnetoresistance develops linearly against the magnetic field at low temperatures. The transport phenomena are interpreted in terms of the zeroth Landau level by applying the theory predicted by Abrikosov. The results of the semiclassical analyses of a two carrier system in a low magnetic field limit show that both the electron and hole reside as the high mobility states. Our results show that pairs of electron and hole Dirac cone states must be taken into account for an accurate interpretation in iron pnictides, which is in contrast with previous studies.     

Quasiclassical negative magnetoresistance of a 2D electron gas: interplay of strong scatterers and smooth disorder

We study the quasiclassical magnetotransport of noninteracting fermions in two dimensions moving in a random array of strong scatterers (antidots, impurities, or defects) on the background of a smooth random potential. We demonstrate that the combination of the two types of disorder induces a novel mechanism leading to a strong negative magnetoresistance, followed by the saturation of the magnetoresistivity rho(xx)(B) at a value determined solely by the smooth disorder. Experimental relevance to the transport in semiconductor heterostructures is discussed.     

Large anisotropic magnetoresistance in graphene‐based junctions

Electronic transport properties of graphene‐based junctions are considered theoretically in the linear response regime and in terms of the effective continuous electronic model. The junctions under consideration consist of two parts; one part is magnetic, while the other one is non‐magnetic but exhibits strong Rashba spin–orbit coupling. Transport properties of such junctions depend on relative orientation of the magnetization, graphene plane, and direction of charge current. A relatively large anisotropic magnetoresistance, associated with a change in the relative orientation of the magnetization and electric current has been found. This magnetoresistance can be either positive or negative. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)