Van Hove singularity-induced negative magnetoresistance in Dirac semimetals

Abstract

Negative magnetoresistance (NMR) is a marked feature of Dirac semimetals, and may be caused by multiple mechanisms, such as the chiral anomaly, the Zeeman energy, the quantum interference effect, and the orbital moment. Recently, an experiment on Dirac semimetal Cd$_3$As$_2$ thin films revealed a new NMR feature that depends strongly on the thickness of the sample [T. Schumann, \emph{et al}., Phys. Rev. B 95, 241113(R) (2017)]. Here, we introduce a new mechanism of inducing NMR via the presence of the van Hove singularity (VHS) in the density of states. Theoretical fitting of the experimental data on magnetoconductivity and magnetoresistance shows good agreement, indicating that the observed NMR in thin films of Cd$_3$As$_2$ can be attributed to the VHS. This work provides new insights into the underlying of Dirac semimetals.