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Understanding the Hall Effect in Conductors

The document discusses the Hall Effect, explaining how a magnetic field affects the conductivity tensor of a conductor, breaking symmetry and leading to the Hall current. It details the separation of the conductivity tensor into symmetric and antisymmetric parts, and how the Hall effect arises from the first-order term in the expansion of the conductivity tensor in a magnetic field. Additionally, it addresses the behavior of isotropic and non-isotropic conductors and the implications for the Hall constant.

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Abhi Rup
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12 views16 pages

Understanding the Hall Effect in Conductors

The document discusses the Hall Effect, explaining how a magnetic field affects the conductivity tensor of a conductor, breaking symmetry and leading to the Hall current. It details the separation of the conductivity tensor into symmetric and antisymmetric parts, and how the Hall effect arises from the first-order term in the expansion of the conductivity tensor in a magnetic field. Additionally, it addresses the behavior of isotropic and non-isotropic conductors and the implications for the Hall constant.

Uploaded by

Abhi Rup
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

The Hall Effect

LL8 Section 22
1. A magnetic field breaks the symmetry of the conductivity tensor

A conductor in an external magnetic field H

Onsager’s principle doesn’t hold anymore

Instead
v.5 section 120, and v.2: Time-
reversal symmetry only if H -H
2. Separate conductivity tensor into symmetric and antisymmetric parts.
This is always possible for a rank 2 tensor.

But
Components of sik are even functions of H
Components of aik are odd functions of H
3. The aik has only 3 components, like a vector.
Any antisymmetric aik is dual to an axial vector
(no sign change under inversion)
4. Joule heating is determined by the symmetrical part of the conductivity tensor
alone.

Joule heat

Zero, since E ^ (E x a)
5. External H-fields are usually weak. Expand s(H) in powers of H.

a(H) is odd, so expansion contains only odd powers of H.

ai = aik Hk + …

a is an axial vector H is an axial vector

Must be ordinary polar tensor.


Transforms like products of components of
sik(H) is even. vectors that changes sign under inversion.
Expansion of sik has only even powers

Zero-field
conductivity Symmetrical in (i,k)
tensor and in (l,m)
6. The first order term in the expansion of sik(H), gives the Hall effect.

First order effect of H-field is linear in H.

ji = sik Ek + (E x a)i

This term might also have a Hall effect.


component perpendicular to E. Axial vector a is linear in H.
ai = aik Hk

Hall current is perpendicular to E


and proportional to H & E
7. Inverse of ji = sikEk , and the resistivity tensor.

Inverse formula

Resistivity tensor

Antisymmetric part
Symmetric part
Math arguments repeat
The axial vector b is dual to bik, b is linear in H for small H

Hall effect
Ordinary Ohm’s law

perpendicular to j and proportional to H and j,


but not necessarily perpendicular to H
8. For isotropic conductor (e.g. cubic semiconductors) axial vectors a and b must be
parallel to H. (Then Hall current and Hall field are perpendicular to H.)

For non-isotropic conductors,

All tensors that characterize an isotropic medium


must be invariant under all rotations about H
Likewise, symmetric parts of conductivity
and resistivity tensors must be invariant
under rotations about H
Let j lie in the xz plane of an isotropic conductor
In an isotropic
conductor, the Hall
field is the only E-
field that is
perpendicular to
Hall field both j and H.
9. The Hall constant R
In an isotropic body

Hall Constant,
can be positive or negative
• Next terms in expansion of rikjk must be
– quadratic in H,
– linear in j,
– And be a vector
• Only possible combinations of H & j are

and

in an isotropic body
General form of E = E(j)

Zero-field Hall term Quadratic terms


term with EH ^ H EQ1 || j
isotropic EH ^ j EQ2 || H
resistivity.

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