Strong anisotropy of the electron-phonon interaction in NbP probed by magnetoacoustic quantum oscillations

Abstract

In this study, we report on the observation of de Haas-van Alphen-type quantum oscillations (QOs) in the ultrasound velocity of NbP as well as "giant QOs"in the ultrasound attenuation in pulsed magnetic fields. The difference in the QO amplitude for different acoustic modes reveals a strong anisotropy of the effective deformation potential, which we estimate to be as high as 9eV for certain parts of the Fermi surface. Furthermore, the natural filtering of QO frequencies and the tracing of the individual Landau levels to the quantum limit allows for a more detailed investigation of the Fermi surface of NbP, as was previously achieved by means of analyzing QOs observed in magnetization or electrical resistivity. © 2020 authors. Published by the American Physical Society.