Anomalous Hall effect in Dirac semimetal probed by in-plane magnetic field

Abstract: Intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE) formulated by geometric properties of Bloch wavefunctions is a ubiquitous transport phenomenon not limited to magnetic systems but also allowed in non-magnetic ones under an external field breaking time-reversal symmetry. On the other hand, detection of field-induced AHE is practically challenging because the band modulation through the Zeeman and spin-orbit couplings is typically small compared to other contributions as induced by the Lorentz force. Here, we demonstrate on Dirac semimetal Cd$_3$As$_2$ films that the field-induced AHE in non-magnetic systems can be quantitatively probed by applying and rotating the magnetic field within the Hall deflection plane. Measurements on the Cd$_3$As$_2$ (112) plane reveal that AHE emerges as a clear three-fold symmetric component for the in-plane field rotation. This intrinsic response becomes more pronounced in ultralow-electron-density films where significant variations in the geometric properties are expected under the magnetic field. Our findings open new opportunities in the research of Hall responses manifested as orbital magnetization in non-magnetic systems.