Photo-Magneto-Electric Effect in Semimetals

Abstract

When an electromagnetic wave is propagated through a metal in a static magnetic field, a dc electric field is induced in the metal. We consider the mechanical effect on this Photo-magneto-electric [PME] effect in semimetals by using the density matrix method. It is shown that the momentum transfer from electrons to scatterers makes an important role on PME. In some cases, the total momentum given to the scatterers by the electrons is larger than the one given to the electrons by the electromagnetic wave. The results qualitatively explain the essential features of the experiments, including the sign of the electric field which can not be explained by the previous theories.