Magnetic Properties of Three-Dimensionally Quantized Semimetals

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Abstract
A semimetallic thin film under size quantization becomes three-dimensionally quantized when a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the film plane. Simple analyses are presented to show that the density of the electrons or holes exhibits linear variations with the magnetic field and undergoes discontinuous changes at certain field values. It is shown that the magnetization may undergo unusual transitions between positive and negative values. It is also shown that the differential magnetic susceptibility undergoes discontinuous variations. New ways to measure the energy overlap of the conduction band and the valence band of a semimetal and some other parameters are discussed. The electronic heat capacity of the three-dimensionally quantized semimetal at low temperatures is also briefly discussed; it becomes much larger at certain field intensities than the heat capacity of the semimetal in zero field.