Anomalous magnetoresistance of very pure simple metals

A recent paper by Büttiker suggests that the linear variation of magnetoresistance frequently observed in simple metals results from the conduction by skipping orbits. For stepped Al samples we find excellent agreement with this approach for magnetotransport in pure metals. The relationship between the transmission formulation using skipping orbits and the conventional theory, which takes into account current diversion in a sample with variable thickness, is discussed. © 1993 The American Physical Society.