Huang H, Jin KH, Liu F. Alloy Engineering of Topological Semimetal Phase Transition in MgTa_{2-x}Nb_{x}N_{3}.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018;
120:136403. [PMID:
29694185 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.120.136403]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Dirac, triple-point, and Weyl fermions represent three topological semimetal phases, characterized with a descending degree of band degeneracy, which have been realized separately in specific crystalline materials with different lattice symmetries. Here we demonstrate an alloy engineering approach to realize all three types of fermions in one single material system of MgTa_{2-x}Nb_{x}N_{3}. Based on symmetry analysis and first-principles calculations, we map out a phase diagram of topological order in the parameter space of alloy concentration and crystalline symmetry, where the intrinsic MgTa_{2}N_{3} with the highest symmetry hosts the Dirac semimetal phase, which transforms into the triple-point and then the Weyl semimetal phases with increasing Nb concentration that lowers the crystalline symmetries. Therefore, alloy engineering affords a unique approach for the experimental investigation of topological transitions of semimetallic phases manifesting different fermionic behaviors.
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