Quantum oscillations and ultrahigh mobility in rare-earth tritellurides SmTe3

Rare-earth tritellurides (RTe3, R = lanthanide) represent an ideal platform for investigating charge density wave (CDW) order and associated Fermi surface reconstructions. While quantum oscillations have been observed in several RTe3 members, a detailed exploration of the low-temperature electronic transport properties of high-quality SmTe3 single crystals remains limited. In this study, we synthesized SmTe3 single crystals with a high residual resistivity ratio of 411. Transport measurements reveal pronounced Shubnikov-de Haas quantum oscillations below 30 K. The electrons in the observed Fermi pockets exhibit an extremely small effective mass of 0.119 and a high mobility reaching 3.78×104cm2V-1s-1 . Furthermore, the material demonstrates remarkable anisotropic magnetoresistance, indicative of a highly anisotropic Fermi surface. Our work establishes high-quality SmTe3 as a compelling system for studying high-mobility transport in a CDW background, providing crucial insights for potential applications in advanced electronic devices.