Magnetostriction and magnetotransport in bismuth

Abstract

It is shown that magnetotransport properties of bismuth cannot be interpreted without taking into account the concomitant diamagnetic magnetostriction which implies a change of carrier density as well as a change of symmetry. Here, we emphasize the lack of consistency of the usual phenomenological theory of magnetotransport effects based on space-time symmetry restrictions, which implicitly assumes the conservation of crystallographic symmetry under magnetic field. This is demonstrated by Hall voltage measurements exhibiting an unexpected asymmetry when the magnetic field lies in the bisectrix direction.