Damped Alfvén-Wave Transmission in Bismuth

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Abstract
Measurements are reported on the transmission of transverse hydromagnetic waves in the low Mc/sec range through sizable samples of Bi at 4.2°K. The transmission is characteristic of the classical skin effect and has some of the well-known properties of the transverse magnetoresistance effect in Bi. The wave properties, moreover, give rise to a rotation of the axis of polarization at low magnetic field. Rotation can be a Faraday rotation resulting from residual Hall effect, or can be due to the anisotropy of the Bi Fermi surface. The experimental results are in qualitative agreement with an interpretation based on the latter effect.