Alfvén-Wave Propagation in Solid-State Plasmas. II. Bismuth

Abstract

Alfvén-wave propagation velocities in single-crystal bismuth have been studied for the frequency range 13 to 18 GHz, using an interference technique. Experimental mass densities were obtained for magnetic fields aligned along principal crystal axes. The variation of these mass densities for misalignment of the magnetic field and sample shape and size was also studied. The different values obtained by previous workers are shown to be due to minor sample misalignments. The number of carriers, $n$, and the mass components obtained are compared with values previously reported in the literature. The de Haas-Shubnikov periods are also measured from the transmission envelope of the microwaves. The best fit to the numerical results for the carrier masses and the number of carriers obtained in this work is $n=(3.00\mathrm{}\pm 0.15)\times {10}^{17}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{-3\mathrm{}}$, $m_1=0.005\mathrm{}\pm 0.0015$, $m_2=1.27\mathrm{}\pm .007$, $m_3=0.031\mathrm{}\pm 0.004$, $m_4=0.157\mathrm{}\pm 0.008$, $M_1=0.064\mathrm{}$, and $M_3=0.69\mathrm{}$. These parameters are shown to be consistent with all of the Alfvén-wave mass densities.