Angular dependence of large negative magnetoresistance in a field-induced Weyl semimetal candidate HoAuSn

The angular dependence of magnetoresistance (MR) in antiferromagnetic half-Heusler HoAuSn single crystals have been systematically studied. Negative MR, as large as 99%, is observed at 9 T, is not restricted to the specific configuration of applied magnetics fields and current, and can persist up to 20 K, much higher than the Neel temperature (TN 1.9 K). Experiments and first-principles calculations suggest that the observed large negative MR is derived from a magnetic field that reconstructs the band structure and induces a Weyl point, which changes the carrier concentration. Taking into consideration that large negative MR has so far been rarely reported, especially in antiferromagnetic materials, it is anticipated that the present work not only offers a guideline for searching materials with large negative MR but also helps to further realize other exotic topological electronic states in a large class of antiferromagnetic half-Heusler compounds.