Chiral anomaly and diffusive magnetotransport in Weyl metals

Area of Science:

• Condensed matter physics
• Quantum materials science
• Solid-state physics

Background:

• Weyl metals are a unique class of topological materials exhibiting exotic electronic properties.
• Understanding magnetotransport phenomena in these materials is crucial for exploring their potential applications.
• The chiral anomaly, a key feature of Weyl fermions, is theoretically predicted but experimentally challenging to isolate in transport measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a microscopic theory for diffusive magnetotransport in Weyl metals.
• To elucidate the connection between the chiral anomaly and observable transport properties.
• To identify universal experimental signatures of the chiral anomaly in Weyl metals.

Main Methods:

• Derivation of coupled diffusion equations for total and axial charge densities.
• Microscopic theoretical modeling of electron behavior in Weyl metals under magnetic fields.
• Analysis of the interplay between charge densities and magnetic field-induced coupling.

Main Results:

• The chiral anomaly manifests as a magnetic-field-induced coupling between total and axial charge densities.
• A universal quadratic negative magnetoresistance is predicted as a direct consequence of this coupling.
• This quadratic negative magnetoresistance is shown to dominate other magnetoresistance contributions under specific conditions.

Conclusions:

• The presented theory provides a microscopic understanding of magnetotransport in Weyl metals.
• The chiral anomaly has a direct and observable impact on magnetoresistance.
• Quadratic negative magnetoresistance serves as a robust experimental signature for identifying Weyl metals and probing the chiral anomaly.