Low temperature magnetoresistance of the persistent photoconductor Cd_0.9Mn_0.1Te:In

The magnetoresistance of the dilute magnetic persistent photoconductor Cd0.9Mn0.1Te is reported for temperatures between 1.3 and 17 K, and at magnetic fields of up to 8 T. The measurements were made at a stable persistent photocarrier concentration of 4.3 × 1016 cm-3 produced after illuminating with sub-bandgap radiation. We demonstrate that the data may be interpreted with a model based upon the existence of bound magnetic polarons in the material. Here the magnetoresistance is a result of the difference between the magnetization of the magnetic moments of the polaron and the magnetization of the host material. We obtain quantitative fits to the magnetoresistance data using this model and assuming that the magnetization of both the polaron and the host material may be described by modified Brillouin functions.