Magnetoresistance and Thermoelectricity in Quasi-Low Dimensional Semimetals

Abstract

The emergent properties and low energy excitations of low dimensional condensed matter systems are profoundly affected by the interplay of strong magnetic field and the anisotropic ionic potential of the crystal lattice. Detailed information of the underlying physics of such systems can be probed by the macroscopic responses observed in electric and thermoelectric transport experiments. In this thesis we present a com- prehensive study of the electronic bands and transport properties of the quasi-1D layered material ZrTe₅. For vacancy doped crystals, we report a transport, thermodynamic, and spectroscopic study with a focus on elucidating the connections between its band structure and unusual thermoelectric properties. For crystals in the stoichiometric limit, we report the discovery of a commensurate resonance effect in the angular magnetoresistance which can be understood as 1D to 2D crossovers of quasiparticle motion.