Interlayer magnetoresistance as a probe of the quantum coherence of electronic excitations in layered metals

Angle-dependent magnetoresistance oscillations (AMRO) have been used as a powerful tool to map out Fermi surfaces in layered metals, such as organic metals, strontium ruthenate, and an over-doped cuprate. We derive a general formula for AMRO in systems with anisotropic interlayer hopping, anistropic in-plane scattering and an anisotropic 2$d$ Fermi surface. We discuss the ability of AMRO to discriminate between coherent transport when there is a 3$d$ Fermi surface and weakly incoherent transport, where there is hopping between 2$d$ Fermi surfaces that are only defined in each layer. We illustrate these ideas by comparison with experimental measurements of AMRO in thallium cuprate [1]. \\ $[$1$]$ N. E. Hussey {\it et al.}, Nature {\bf 425}, 814 (2003).