First-principles methodology for studying magnetotransport in narrow-gap semiconductors: an application to Zirconium Pentatelluride ZrTe5

Abstract: The origin of anomalous resistivity peak and accompanied sign reversal of Hall resistivity of ZrTe$_5$ has been under debate for a long time. Although various theoretical models have been proposed to account for these intriguing transport properties, a systematic study from first principles view is still lacking. In this work, we present a first principles calculation combined with Boltzmann transport theory to investigate the transport properties in narrow-gap semiconductors at different temperatures and doping densities within the relaxation time approximation. Regarding the sensitive temperature-dependent chemical potential and relaxation time of semiconductors, we take proper approximation to simulate these two variables, and then comprehensively study the transport properties of ZrTe$_5$ both in the absence and presence of an applied magnetic field. Without introducing topological phases and correlation interactions, we qualitatively reproduced crucial features observed in experiments, including zero-field resistivity anomaly, nonlinear Hall resistivity with sign reversal, and non-saturating magnetoresistance at high temperatures. Our calculation allows a systematic interpretation of the observed properties in terms of multi-carrier and Fermi surface geometry. Our method can be extended to other narrow-gap semiconductors and further pave the way to explore interesting and novel transport properties of this field.