Robson Ricardo da Silva

We report a highly anisotropic in-plane magnetoresistance (MR) in graphite that possesses in-plane parallel line-like structural defects. In a current direction perpendicular to the line defects (LD), MR is negative and linear in low fields with a crossover to a positive MR at higher fields, while in a current direction parallel to LD, we observed a giant super-linear positive MR. These extraordinary MRs are respectively explained by a hopping magnetoresistance via non-zero angular momentum orbitals, and by the magnetoresistance of inhomogeneous media. The linear negative orbital MR is a unique signature of the broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS). We discuss the origin of the disorder-induced TRS-breaking in graphite.

We performed magnetization M(H, T) and magnetoresistance R(T, H) measurements on powdered (grain size ∼149 μm) as well as highly oriented rhombohedral (A7) bismuth (Bi) samples consisting of single crystalline blocks of size ∼1 × 1 mm in the plane perpendicular to the trigonal c axis. The obtained results revealed the occurrence of (1) local superconductivity in powdered samples with Tc(0) = (8.75 ± 0.05) K, and (2) global superconductivity at Tc(0) = (7.3 ± 0.1) K in polycrystalline Bi triggered by low-resistance ohmic contacts with silver (Ag) normal metal. The results provide evidence that the superconductivity in Bi is localized in a tiny volume fraction, probably at intergrain or Ag/Bi interfaces. On the other hand, the occurrence of global superconductivity observed for polycrystalline Bi can be accounted for by enhancement of the superconducting order parameter phase stiffness induced by the normal metal contacts, the scenario proposed in the context of “pseudogap regime” in cuprates [E. Berg et al., Phys. Rev. B 78, 094509 (2008)].