Linear Magnetoresistance from Glassy Order

Recent experiments with strongly correlated electronic systems such as cuprates, pnictides, and Moire systems observed magnetoresistance with a linear in magnetic field B dependence. In contrast, standard semiclassical theory of charge transport expect it to scale quadratically with the magnetic field. We show that linear magnetoresistance (LMR) arises naturally in metals coupled to glassy order involving either i) an order parameter with a finite wavevector, such as charge density wave or ii) a nodal order parameter, such as nematic. In both cases, the scattering at the domain walls is highly anisotropic on the Fermi surface; the former has hotspots with large backscattering; the latter, coldspots with suppressed scattering. In a broad range of fields the quasi-particle decay rate is then set by the cyclotron frequency, ultimately resulting in robust linear magnetoresistance. Our results are consistent with the observation of LMR in pnictides and cuprates where there are strong experimental evidence of glassy order.