10
Novel semiconductor gives new perspective on anomalous Hall effect

Novel semiconductor gives new perspective on anomalous Hall effect

2 years ago
Anonymous $dEyjbtEkMr

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211222153154.htm

Charged particles such as electrons can behave in interacting ways when moving under the influence of electric and magnetic fields. For instance, when a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the plane of a current-carrying conductor, the electrons flowing within start to deviate sideways due to magnetic force and soon enough, a voltage difference appears across the conductor. This phenomenon is famously called the "Hall effect." However, the Hall effect does not necessarily require fiddling with magnets. In fact, it can be observed in magnetic materials with long-range magnetic order, such as ferromagnets, for free!

Named "anomalous Hall effect" (AHE), this phenomenon appears to be a close cousin of the Hall effect. However, its mechanism is way more involved. Currently, the most accepted one is that the AHE is produced by a property of the electronic energy bands called "Berry curvature," which results from an interaction between the electron's spin and its motion inside the material, more commonly known as "spin-orbit interaction."