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Temperature-Dependent Three-Dimensional Anisotropy of the Magnetoresistance in WTe2

L. R. Thoutam, Y. L. Wang, Z. L. Xiao, S. Das, A. Luican-Mayer, R. Divan, G. W. Crabtree, and W. K. Kwok
Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 046602 – Published 22 July 2015
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Abstract

Extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) was recently discovered in WTe2, triggering extensive research on this material regarding the XMR origin. Since WTe2 is a layered compound with metal layers sandwiched between adjacent insulating chalcogenide layers, this material has been considered to be electronically two-dimensional (2D). Here we report two new findings on WTe2: (1) WTe2 is electronically 3D with a mass anisotropy as low as 2, as revealed by the 3D scaling behavior of the resistance R(H,θ)=R(ϵθH) with ϵθ=(cos2θ+γ2sin2θ)1/2, θ being the magnetic field angle with respect to the c axis of the crystal and γ being the mass anisotropy and (2) the mass anisotropy γ varies with temperature and follows the magnetoresistance behavior of the Fermi liquid state. Our results not only provide a general scaling approach for the anisotropic magnetoresistance but also are crucial for correctly understanding the electronic properties of WTe2, including the origin of the remarkable “turn-on” behavior in the resistance versus temperature curve, which has been widely observed in many materials and assumed to be a metal-insulator transition.

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  • Received 25 May 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.046602

© 2015 American Physical Society

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Electrons Travel Between Loosely Bound Layers

Published 22 July 2015

Tungsten-ditelluride cleaves easily into atomically thin layers, but its electrons conduct almost isotropically, suggesting a rare case of good charge conduction across weak mechanical bonds.

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Authors & Affiliations

L. R. Thoutam1,2, Y. L. Wang1,*, Z. L. Xiao1,2,†, S. Das3, A. Luican-Mayer3, R. Divan3, G. W. Crabtree1,4, and W. K. Kwok1

  • 1Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
  • 2Department of Physics, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, USA
  • 3Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
  • 4Departments of Physics, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, USA

  • *ylwang@anl.gov
  • xiao@anl.gov; zxiao@niu.edu

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Issue

Vol. 115, Iss. 4 — 24 July 2015

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