Magnetic breakdown and phase-coherent galvanomagnetic effects

Abstract

This paper presents a generalization of Pippard's network-model approach for the calculation of transport properties in metals in the presence of magnetic breakdown and partial phase coherence of the wave function. The generalization consists of introducing an ensemble of equivalent networks characterized by a well-defined fully coherent imite system of orbits. lt allows for relatively easy computation of the transport effective path in the infinite-relaxation-time approximation. The idea is applied to two specific examples: the linear chain and the hexagonal network; the latter can be considered a good model for magnesium and can be compareci with existing and future experiments.