Extreme magnetoresistance in the topologically trivial lanthanum monopnictide LaAs
The family of binary lanthanum monopnictides, LaBi and LaSb, has attracted a great deal of attention as it possesses topological features and displays an unusual extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) that is not well understood. Two classes of explanations have been offered for this: the presence of nontrivial topology and the compensation between electron and holedensities. Here, by synthesizing a new member of the family, LaAs, and performing transport measurements, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and density
functional theory calculations, we show that topology is insignificant to XMR, but the compensation is
responsible for the XMR profile and the mobility mismatch constrains the magnitude of XMR.
functional theory calculations, we show that topology is insignificant to XMR, but the compensation is
responsible for the XMR profile and the mobility mismatch constrains the magnitude of XMR.
