Fermi surface, effective masses, and Dingle temperatures ofZrTe5as derived from the Shubnikov–de Haas effect

Abstract

The complete Fermi surface of ${\mathrm{ZrTe}}_5$ has been determined to consist of three independent surfaces: one hole-type, (the largest surface) and two electron-type surfaces. The surfaces are all of ellipsoidal form, with at least the electron surfaces mutually nested with common centers and principal axes. In addition, along certain high-symmetry directions, they nearly touch. Within experimental error, the volume of the largest surface is equal to the sum of the volumes of the smaller surfaces. Also determined are the anisotropy of the effective masses, the electron scattering times, and a model of the energy bands as they cross the Fermi level. In the direction of highest conductivity, the effective masses of the electrons and holes are found to be nearly equal and small (3–4 % of the free-electron mass), and the relaxation time for the electrons is more than twice that of the holes.