Observation of Weyl nodes and Fermi arcs in tantalum phosphide

Noncentrosymmetric two-dimensional Weyl semimetals in porous Si/Ge structures

In this work we predict a family of noncentrosymmetric two-dimensional (2D) Weyl semimetals (WSMs) composed by porous Ge and SiGe structures. These systems are energetically stable graphenylene-like structures with a buckling, spontaneously breaking the inversion symmetry. The nontrivial topological phase for these 2D systems occurs just below the Fermi level, resulting in nonvanishing Berry curvature around the Weyl nodes. The emerged WSMs are protected byC3symmetry, presenting one-dimensional edge Fermi-arcs connecting Weyl points with opposite chiralities. Our findings complete the family of Weyl in condensed-matter physics, by predicting the first noncentrosymmetric class of 2D WSMs.

First Principles Computation of New Topological B2X2Zn (X = Ir, Rh, Co) Compounds

Recent attempts at searching for new materials have revealed a large class of materials that show topological behaviors with unusual physical properties and potential applications leading to enthralling discoveries both theoretically and experimentally. We computationally predict new three-dimensional topological compounds of space group 139(I/4mmm). After conducting a full volume optimization process by allowing the rearrangement of atomic positions and lattice parameters, the first-principles calculation with a generalized gradient approximation is utilized to identify multiple Dirac-type crossings around X and P symmetric points near Fermi energy. Importantly, the band inversion at point P is recognized. Further, we investigate the compound for topological crystalline insulating behavior by conducting surface state calculation and by investigating gapping behavior by increasing lattice parameters. Additionally, we perform formation energy, elastic properties, and phonon modes calculations to verify the structural, mechanical, and dynamical stability of the compounds. Therefore, we suggest compounds for further investigation and experimental realization.

Unconventional superconductivity in topological Kramers nodal-line semimetals

Crystalline symmetry is a defining factor of the electronic band topology in solids, where many-body interactions often induce a spontaneous breaking of symmetry. Superconductors lacking an inversion center are among the best systems to study such effects or even to achieve topological superconductivity. Here, we demonstrate that TRuSi materials (with T a transition metal) belong to this class. Their bulk normal states behave as three-dimensional Kramers nodal-line semimetals, characterized by large antisymmetric spin-orbit couplings and by hourglass-like dispersions. Our muon-spin spectroscopy measurements show that certain TRuSi compounds spontaneously break the time-reversal symmetry at the superconducting transition, while unexpectedly showing a fully gapped superconductivity. Their unconventional behavior is consistent with a unitary (s + ip) pairing, reflecting a mixture of spin singlets and spin triplets. By combining an intrinsic time-reversal symmetry-breaking superconductivity with nontrivial electronic bands, TRuSi compounds provide an ideal platform for investigating the rich interplay between unconventional superconductivity and the exotic properties of Kramers nodal-line/hourglass fermions.

Fermi surface of the chiral topological semimetal PtGa

PtGa is a topological semimetal with giant spin-split Fermi arcs. Here, we report on angular-dependent de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) measurements combined with band-structure calculations to elucidate the details of the bulk Fermi surface of PtGa. The strong spin-orbit coupling leads to eight bands crossing the Fermi energy that form a multitude of Fermi surfaces with closed extremal orbits and results in very rich dHvA spectra. The large number of experimentally observed dHvA frequencies make the assignment to the equally large number of calculated dHvA orbits challenging. Nevertheless, we find consistency between experiment and calculations verifying the topological character with maximal Chern number of the spin-split Fermi surface.

Ultrafast Sub-100 fs All-Optical Modulation and Efficient Third-Harmonic Generation in Weyl Semimetal Niobium Phosphide Thin Films

Since their experimental discovery in 2015, Weyl semimetals have generated a large amount of attention due their intriguing physical properties that arise from their linear electron dispersion relation and topological surface states. In particular, in the field of nonlinear (NL) optics and light harvesting, Weyl semimetals have shown outstanding performances and achieved record NL conversion coefficients. In this context, the first steps toward Weyl semimetal nanophotonics are performed here by thoroughly characterizing the linear and NL optical behavior of epitaxially grown niobium phosphide (NbP) thin films, covering the visible to the near-infrared regime of the electromagnetic spectrum. Despite the measured high linear absorption, third-harmonic generation studies demonstrate high conversion efficiencies up to 10^-4 % that can be attributed to the topological electron states at the surface of the material. Furthermore, nondegenerate pump-probe measurements with sub-10 fs pulses reveal a maximum modulation depth of ≈1%, completely decaying within 100 fs and therefore suggesting the possibility of developing all-optical switching devices based on NbP. Altogether, this work reveals the promising NL optical properties of Weyl semimetal thin films, which outperform bulk crystals of the same material, laying the grounds for nanoscale applications, enabled by top-down nanostructuring, such as light-harvesting, on-chip frequency conversion, and all-optical processing.

Momentum-space signatures of Berry flux monopoles in the Weyl semimetal TaAs

Since the early days of Dirac flux quantization, magnetic monopoles have been sought after as a potential corollary of quantized electric charge. As opposed to magnetic monopoles embedded into the theory of electromagnetism, Weyl semimetals (WSM) exhibit Berry flux monopoles in reciprocal parameter space. As a function of crystal momentum, such monopoles locate at the crossing point of spin-polarized bands forming the Weyl cone. Here, we report momentum-resolved spectroscopic signatures of Berry flux monopoles in TaAs as a paradigmatic WSM. We carried out angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy at bulk-sensitive soft X-ray energies (SX-ARPES) combined with photoelectron spin detection and circular dichroism. The experiments reveal large spin- and orbital-angular-momentum (SAM and OAM) polarizations of the Weyl-fermion states, resulting from the broken crystalline inversion symmetry in TaAs. Supported by first-principles calculations, our measurements image signatures of a topologically non-trivial winding of the OAM at the Weyl nodes and unveil a chirality-dependent SAM of the Weyl bands. Our results provide directly bulk-sensitive spectroscopic support for the non-trivial band topology in the WSM TaAs, promising to have profound implications for the study of quantum-geometric effects in solids.

Weyl semimetals exhibit Berry flux monopoles in momentum-space, but direct experimental evidence has remained elusive. Here, the authors reveal topologically non-trivial winding of the orbital-angular-momentum at the Weyl nodes and a chirality-dependent spin-angular-momentum of the Weyl bands, as a direct signature of the Berry flux monopoles in TaAs.

Fast nuclear spin relaxation rates in tilted cone Weyl semimetals: redshift factors from Korringa relation

Spin lattice relaxation rate is investigated for 3D tilted cone Weyl semimetals (TCWSMs). The nuclear spin relaxation rate is presented as a function of temperature and tilt parameter. We find that the relaxation rate behaves as(1-ζ2)-αwithα≈ 9 where 0 ⩽ζ< 1 is the tilt parameter. We demonstrate that such a strong enhancement forζ≲ 1 that gives rise to very fast relaxation rates, is contributed by a new hyperfine interactions arising from the tilt itself. This can be attributed to the combination of anisotropy of the Fermi surface and an additional part related to the structure of the spacetime: extracting an effective density of states (DOS)ρ̃from the Korringa relation, we show that it is related to the DOSρof the tilted cone dispersion by the 'redshift factor' asρ̃=ρ/1-ζ2. We interpret this relation as NMR manifestation of an emergent underlying spacetime structure in TCWSMs.

An ab-initio study on structural, elastic, electronic, bonding, thermal, and optical properties of topological Weyl semimetal TaX (X = P, As)

In recent days, study of topological Weyl semimetals have become an active branch of physics and materials science because they led to realization of the Weyl fermions and exhibited protected Fermi arc surface states. Therefore, topological Weyl semimetals TaX (X = P, As) are important electronic systems to investigate both from the point of view of fundamental physics and potential applications. In this work, we have studied the structural, elastic, mechanical, electronic, bonding, acoustic, thermal and optical properties of TaX (X = P, As) in detail via first-principles method using the density functional theory. A comprehensive study of elastic constants and moduli shows that both TaP and TaAs possesses low to medium level of elastic anisotropy (depending on the measure), reasonably good machinability, mixed bonding characteristics with ionic and covalent contributions, brittle nature and relatively high Vickers hardness with a low Debye temperature and melting temperature. The minimum thermal conductivities and anisotropies of TaX (X = P, As) are calculated. Bond population analysis supports the bonding nature as predicted by the elastic parameters. The bulk electronic band structure calculations reveal clear semi-metallic features with quasi-linear energy dispersions in certain sections of the Brillouin zone near the Fermi level. A pseudogap in the electronic energy density of states at the Fermi level separating the bonding and the antibonding states indicates significant electronic stability of tetragonal TaX (X = P, As).The reflectivity spectra show almost non-selective behavior over a wide range of photon energy encompassing visible to mid-ultraviolet regions. High reflectivity over wide spectral range makes TaX suitable as reflecting coating. TaX (X = P, As) are very efficient absorber of ultraviolet radiation. Both the compounds are moderately optically anisotropic owing to the anisotropic nature of the electronic band structure. The refractive indices are very high in the infrared to visible range. All the energy dependent optical parameters show metallic features and are in complete accord with the underlying bulk electronic density of states calculations.

Giant spontaneous Hall effect in a nonmagnetic Weyl-Kondo semimetal

States of matter are traditionally classified by their symmetry, as exemplified by the distinction between a solid and a liquid. Topological quantum phases, on the other hand, are harder to characterize, and still harder to identify. This is especially so in electronic systems with strong correlations. In this work, we uncover a purely electric-field-driven “giant” Hall response—orders of magnitude above expectation—in one such material and propose a mechanism whereby it is driven by strong correlations. Our results will enable the identification of electronic topological states in a broad range of strongly correlated quantum materials and may trigger efforts toward their exploitation in robust quantum electronics.

Nontrivial topology in condensed-matter systems enriches quantum states of matter to go beyond either the classification into metals and insulators in terms of conventional band theory or that of symmetry-broken phases by Landau’s order parameter framework. So far, focus has been on weakly interacting systems, and little is known about the limit of strong electron correlations. Heavy fermion systems are a highly versatile platform to explore this regime. Here we report the discovery of a giant spontaneous Hall effect in the Kondo semimetal Ce3Bi4Pd3 that is noncentrosymmetric but preserves time-reversal symmetry. We attribute this finding to Weyl nodes—singularities of the Berry curvature—that emerge in the immediate vicinity of the Fermi level due to the Kondo interaction. We stress that this phenomenon is distinct from the previously detected anomalous Hall effect in materials with broken time-reversal symmetry; instead, it manifests an extreme topological response that requires a beyond-perturbation-theory description of the previously proposed nonlinear Hall effect. The large magnitude of the effect in even tiny electric and zero magnetic fields as well as its robust bulk nature may aid the exploitation in topological quantum devices.

Magnetic impurity in a triple-component semimetal

We investigate the effects of a magnetic impurity in a multiband touching fermion system, specifically, a triple-component semimetal with a flat band, which can be realized in a family of transition metal silicides (CoSi family). When the chemical potential coincides with the flat band, it is expected that the impurity response of this system will be very different from that of an ordinary Dirac or Weyl semimetal of which the density of states at the Fermi level vanishes. We first determine the phase diagram within the mean-field approximation. Then, we study the local moment regime by employing two different methods. In the low temperature regime, the Kondo screening is analyzed by the variational wavefunction approach and the impurity contributions to the magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity are obtained, while at higher temperature, we use the equation of motion approach to calculate the occupation number of the impurity site and the impurity magnetic susceptibility. The results are compared and contrasted with those in the usual Fermi liquid and the Dirac/Weyl semimetals.

Nanostructured metal phosphides: from controllable synthesis to sustainable catalysis

Metal phosphides (MPs) with unique and desirable physicochemical properties provide promising potential in practical applications, such as the catalysis, gas/humidity sensor, environmental remediation, and energy storage fields, especially for transition metal phosphides (TMPs) and MPs consisting of group IIIA and IVA metal elements. Most studies, however, on the synthesis of MP nanomaterials still face intractable challenges, encompassing the need for a more thorough understanding of the growth mechanism, strategies for large-scale synthesis of targeted high-quality MPs, and practical achievement of functional applications. This review aims at providing a comprehensive update on the controllable synthetic strategies for MPs from various metal sources. Additionally, different passivation strategies for engineering the structural and electronic properties of MP nanostructures are scrutinized. Then, we showcase the implementable applications of MP-based materials in emerging sustainable catalytic fields including electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, mild thermocatalysis, and related hybrid systems. Finally, we offer a rational perspective on future opportunities and remaining challenges for the development of MPs in the materials science and sustainable catalysis fields.

Optical signatures of multifold fermions in the chiral topological semimetal CoSi

We report the optical conductivity in high-quality crystals of the chiral topological semimetal CoSi, which hosts exotic quasiparticles known as multifold fermions. We find that the optical response is separated into several distinct regions as a function of frequency, each dominated by different types of quasiparticles. The low-frequency intraband response is captured by a narrow Drude peak from a high-mobility electron pocket of double Weyl quasiparticles, and the temperature dependence of the spectral weight is consistent with its Fermi velocity. By subtracting the low-frequency sharp Drude and phonon peaks at low temperatures, we reveal two intermediate quasilinear interband contributions separated by a kink at 0.2 eV. Using Wannier tight-binding models based on first-principle calculations, we link the optical conductivity above and below 0.2 eV to interband transitions near the double Weyl fermion and a threefold fermion, respectively. We analyze and determine the chemical potential relative to the energy of the threefold fermion, revealing the importance of transitions between a linearly dispersing band and a flat band. More strikingly, below 0.1 eV our data are best explained if spin-orbit coupling is included, suggesting that at these energies, the optical response is governed by transitions between a previously unobserved fourfold spin-3/2 node and a Weyl node. Our comprehensive combined experimental and theoretical study provides a way to resolve different types of multifold fermions in CoSi at different energy. More broadly, our results provide the necessary basis to interpret the burgeoning set of optical and transport experiments in chiral topological semimetals.

Anomalous Hall transport in tilted multi-Weyl semimetals

We study the effect of a perpendicular magnetic fieldBon a multinode Weyl semimetal (mWSM) of arbitrary integer monopole chargen, with the two Weyl multinodes separated ink-space. Besides type-I mWSMs, there exist type-II mWSMs which are characterized by the tilted minimal dispersion for low-energy excitations; the Weyl points in type-II mWSMs are still protected crossings but appear at the contact of the electron and hole pockets, after the Lifshitz transition. We find that the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field quantizes the occupation pockets due to the presence of Fermi tubes. In this theory, the Hilbert space is spanned by a set ofnchiral degenerate ground states, and a countably infinite number of particle-hole symmetric Landau levels (LLs). We calculate the Hall conductivity for the tilt-symmetric case of type-I mWSM using the Kubo formula, in the zero-frequency (DC) limit, and recover the well-known vacuum contribution. We compute the Fermi surface corrections and show that the expression generalizes from the formula for elementary (n= 1) type-I WSMs. We derive an expression for the type-II mWSM Hall conductivity, which is bounded by a LL cutoff introduced on physical grounds. Interestingly, we find that the anomalous vacuum Hall conductivity is vanishing in the type-II phase at all temperatures. The corresponding thermal Hall and Nernst conductivities are evaluated and characterized for both phases. The qualitative and quantitative observations presented here may serve in the characterization of generic mWSMs of both types.

Tuning the crystalline electric field and magnetic anisotropy along the CeCuBi2-xSbx series

We have performed X-ray powder diffraction, magnetization, electrical resistivity, heat capacity and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to investigate the physical properties of the intermetallic series of compounds CeCuBi 2 - x Sb x . These compounds crystallize in a tetragonal structure with space group P 4 ∕ n m m and present antiferromagnetic transition temperatures ranging from 3.6 K to 16 K. Remarkably, the magnetization easy axis changed along the series, which is closely related to the variations of the tetragonal crystalline electric field (CEF) parameters. This evolution was analyzed using a mean field model, which included an anisotropic nearest-neighbor interactions and the tetragonal CEF Hamiltonian. We obtained the CEF parameters by fitting the magnetic susceptibility data with the constraints given by the INS measurements. More broadly, we discuss how this CEF evolution can affect the Kondo physics and the search for a superconducting state in this family.

Novel electronic properties of monoclinic MP4 (M = Cr, Mo, W) compounds with or without topological nodal line

Transition metal phosphides hold novel metallic, semimetallic, and semiconducting behaviors. Here we report by ab initio calculations a systematical study on the structural and electronic properties of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\hbox {MP}_4$$\end{document}MP4 (M = Cr, Mo, W) phosphides in monoclinic C2/c (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$C_{2h}^6$$\end{document}C2h6) symmetry. Their dynamical stabilities have been confirmed by phonon modes calculations. Detailed analysis of the electronic band structures and density of states reveal that \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\hbox {CrP}_4$$\end{document}CrP4 is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap of 0.47 eV in association with the p orbital of P atoms, while \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\hbox {MoP}_4$$\end{document}MoP4 is a Dirac semimetal with an isolated nodal point at the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\Gamma$$\end{document}Γ point and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\hbox {WP}_4$$\end{document}WP4 is a topological nodal line semimetal with a closed nodal ring inside the first Brillouin zone relative to the d orbital of Mo and W atoms, respectively. Comparison of the phosphides with group VB, VIB and VIIB transition metals shows a trend of change from metallic to semiconducting behavior from \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\hbox {VB-MP}_4$$\end{document}VB-MP4 to VIIB-\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\hbox {MP}_4$$\end{document}MP4 compounds. These results provide a systematical understandings on the distinct electronic properties of these compounds.

Coexistence of type-I and critical-type nodal line states in intermetallic compounds ScM (M = Cu, Ag, Au)

In recent years, topological semimetals such as Weyl, Dirac, and nodal-line semimetals have been a hot topic in the field of condensed matter physics. Depending on the orientation of band crossing in momentum space, topological semimetals and metals can be identified as type-I or type-II. Here, we report the coexistence of two new types of topological metal phase in the ScM (M = Cu, Ag, Au) intermetallic compounds (IMCs): (1) multi-nodal-lines semimetals (above Fermi energy), (2) critical-type nodal-lines (lower than Fermi energy). The first case has already been investigated. So, in this paper, we focus on the second case. We find that these IMCs can be an existing topological metal lower than Fermi energy, which are characterized with type-I (for ScCu and ScAu) and critical-type (for ScAg) nodal-lines in the bulk and drumhead liked surface states in the absence of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC). It has also been shown that when SOC is included, these compounds are converted into topological metal materials.

Interlayer quantum transport in Dirac semimetal BaGa2

The quantum limit is quite easy to achieve once the band crossing exists exactly at the Fermi level (EF) in topological semimetals. In multilayered Dirac fermion systems, the density of Dirac fermions on the zeroth Landau levels (LLs) increases in proportion to the magnetic field, resulting in intriguing angle- and field-dependent interlayer tunneling conductivity near the quantum limit. BaGa2 is an example of a multilayered Dirac semimetal with its quasi-2D Dirac cone located at EF, providing a good platform to study its interlayer transport properties. In this paper, we report the negative interlayer magnetoresistance induced by the tunneling of Dirac fermions between the zeroth LLs of neighboring Ga layers in BaGa2. When the field deviates from the c-axis, the interlayer resistivity ρzz(θ) increases and finally results in a peak with the applied field perpendicular to the c-axis. These unusual interlayer transport properties are observed together in the Dirac semimetal under ambient pressure and are well explained by the model of tunneling between Dirac fermions in the quantum limit.

Nodal line topological superfluid and multiply protected Majorana Fermi arc in a three-dimensional time-reversal-invariant superfluid model

We theoretically study a time-reversal-invariant three-dimensional superfluid model by stacking in z direction identical bilayer models with intralayer spin-orbit coupling and contrary Zeeman energy splitting for different layers, which has been suggested recently to realize two-dimensional time-reversal-invariant topological superfluid. We find that this model shows two kinds of topologically nontrivial phases: gapless phases with nodal lines in pairs protected by chiral symmetry and a gapped phase, both of which support a time-reversal-invariant Majorana Fermi arc (MFA) on the yz and xz side surface. These MFA abide by time-reversal and particle-hole symmetries and are topologically protected by the winding numbers in mirror subspaces and the Z ₂ numbers of two-dimensional DIII class topological superfluid, which are different from MFA in the time-reversal broken Weyl superfluid protected by nonzero Chern numbers. This important observation means that MFA in our model represents a new type of topological state not explored previously. The Zeeman field configuration in our model is relevant to the antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi₂Te₄, thus our work stimulates the further studies on superconducting effects in the realistic antiferromagnetic topological insulator.

Magneto-Optics of a Weyl Semimetal beyond the Conical Band Approximation: Case Study of TaP

Landau-level spectroscopy, the optical analysis of electrons in materials subject to a strong magnetic field, is a versatile probe of the electronic band structure and has been successfully used in the identification of novel states of matter such as Dirac electrons, topological materials or Weyl semimetals. The latter arise from a complex interplay between crystal symmetry, spin-orbit interaction, and inverse ordering of electronic bands. Here, we report on unusual Landau-level transitions in the monopnictide TaP that decrease in energy with increasing magnetic field. We show that these transitions arise naturally at intermediate energies in time-reversal-invariant Weyl semimetals where the Weyl nodes are formed by a partially gapped nodal-loop in the band structure. We propose a simple theoretical model for electronic bands in these Weyl materials that captures the collected magneto-optical data to great extent.

Andreev reflection in nodal-line Weyl semimetal

Based on the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation, the quantum scattering problem through a nodal-line Weyl semimetal based normal metal/superconductor heterojunction has been theoretically studied. Since the crystallographic anisotropy in the material, two different orientations between the crystalline axis and the superconducting interface have been revealed. Considering a heterojunction with the interface paralleling to the basal plane, it is found that Andreev reflection with [Formula: see text] due to Klein-like scattering gives rise to a perfect scattering. Deviation from the critical value, Andreev reflection falls down and normal reflection goes up. While the interface is perpendicular to the basal plane, the pure intra-mode retro-Andreev reflection (RAR) and inter-mode specular Andreev reflection (SAR) are manifested at the normal incident. Moreover, the reflection coefficient exhibits the reentrant behavior with the Fermi energy. Fundamentally, such features are a consequence of the torus-like iso-energy surfaces of the nodal-line Weyl semimetals, which is in sharp contrast to the case of conventional materials, graphene, and Weyl-point semimetals. Those novel scattering processes also result in a distinctive tunneling conductance, such as the sub-gap nonmonotonic features, the interface directional dependent zero bias conductances and the reentrant behavior, which can be served as a smoking gun to distinguish the mode-resolved Andreev reflections in experiments.

Topological Semimetal Nanostructures: From Properties to Topotronics

Characterized by bulk Dirac or Weyl cones and surface Fermi-arc states, topological semimetals have sparked enormous research interest in recent years. The nanostructures, with large surface-to-volume ratio and easy field-effect gating, provide ideal platforms to detect and manipulate the topological quantum states. Exotic physical properties originating from these topological states endow topological semimetals attractive for future topological electronics (topotronics). For example, the linear energy dispersion relation is promising for broadband infrared photodetectors, the spin-momentum locking nature of topological surface states is valuable for spintronics, and the topological superconductivity is highly desirable for fault-tolerant qubits. For real-life applications, topological semimetals in the form of nanostructures are necessary in terms of convenient fabrication and integration. Here, we review the recent progresses in topological semimetal nanostructures and start with the quantum transport properties. Then topological semimetal-based electronic devices are introduced. Finally, we discuss several important aspects that should receive great effort in the future, including controllable synthesis, manipulation of quantum states, topological field effect transistors, spintronic applications, and topological quantum computation.

Realization of Epitaxial NbP and TaP Weyl Semimetal Thin Films

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) exhibit an electronic structure governed by linear band dispersions and degenerate (Weyl) points that lead to exotic physical phenomena. While WSMs were established in bulk monopnictide compounds several years ago, the growth of thin films remains a challenge. Here, we report the bottom-up synthesis of single-crystalline NbP and TaP thin films, 9 to 70 nm thick, by means of molecular beam epitaxy. The as-grown epitaxial films feature a phosphorus-rich stoichiometry, a tensile-strained unit cell, and a homogeneous surface termination, unlike their bulk crystal counterparts. These properties result in an electronic structure governed by topological surface states as directly observed using in situ momentum photoemission microscopy, along with a Fermi-level shift of -0.2 eV with respect to the intrinsic chemical potential. Although the Fermi energy of the as-grown samples is still far from the Weyl points, carrier mobilities close to 103 cm2/(V s) have been measured at room temperature in patterned Hall-bar devices. The ability to grow thin films of Weyl semimetals that can be tailored by doping or strain, is an important step toward the fabrication of functional WSM-based devices and heterostructures.

Photoemission Spectroscopic Evidence for the Dirac Nodal Line in the Monoclinic Semimetal SrAs_{3}

Topological nodal-line semimetals with exotic quantum properties are characterized by symmetry-protected line-contact bulk band crossings in the momentum space. However, in most of identified topological nodal-line compounds, these topological nontrivial nodal lines are enclosed by complicated topological trivial states at the Fermi energy (E_{F}), which would perplex their identification and hinder further applications. Utilizing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations, we provide compelling evidence for the existence of Dirac nodal-line fermions in the monoclinic semimetal SrAs_{3}, which possesses a simple nodal loop in the vicinity of E_{F} without the distraction from complicated trivial Fermi surfaces. Our calculations revealed that two bands with opposite parities were inverted around Y near E_{F}, resulting in the single nodal loop at the Γ-Y-S plane with a negligible spin-orbit coupling effect. The band crossings were tracked experimentally and the complete nodal loop was identified quantitatively, which provide a critical experimental support for the existence of nodal-line fermions in the CaP_{3} family of materials. Hosting simple topological nontrivial bulk electronic states around E_{F} and without complication from the trivial states, SrAs_{3} is expected to be a potential platform for topological quantum state investigation and applications.

Electron collimator in Weyl semimetals with periodic magnetic barriers

We investigate theoretically the effect of periodic magnetic barriers on the transport for a Weyl semimetal. We find that there are momentum and spin filtering tunneling behaviors, which is controlled by the numbers of the magnetic barriers. For the tunneling through periodic square-shaped magnetic barriers, the transmission is angular φ asymmetry, and the asymmetrical transmission probability becomes more pronounced with increasing the superlattice number n. However, the transmission is symmetric with respect to angle γ, and the window of the transmission become more and more narrower with increasing the number of barriers, i.e., the collimator behavior. This feature comes from the electron Fabry-Pérot modes among the barriers. We find that the constructive interference of the backscattering amplitudes suppress transmissions, and consequently form the minigaps of the transmission. The transmission can be switched on/off by tuning the incident energies and angles, the heights and numbers of the magnetic barriers, and result in the interesting collimator behavior.

Interplay between magnetic, metal/insulator and topological phases in Hg1-x Mn x Te alloys: prediction of a ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal at x = 0.25

We report a theoretical investigation of magnetic, electronic, and topological properties of Hg_1-x Mn _x Te alloys. We consider periodic structures with Mn concentrations as x  =  0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1. Our hybrid DFT/Hartree-Fock calculations for the bandgaps of antiferromagnetic (ground-state) phases are in good agreement with experiments. The calculations also show that the modification of the magnetic ordering from anti- to ferromagnetic leads to a significant bandgap reduction, resulting in a metal/insulator transition at higher Mn concentrations. We show that a ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal phase is achieved for x  =  0.25, where a single pair of Weyl nodes mirrored by the [Formula: see text] point in the momentum space is observed. The non-trivial topological property of the ferromagnetic Hg_0.75Mn_0.25Te is confirmed by the calculation of the chirality of each Weyl node, which are connected by a surface Fermi arc of a semi infinite Hg_0.75Mn_0.25Te.

Growth and Strain Engineering of Trigonal Te for Topological Quantum Phases in Non-Symmorphic Chiral Crystals

Strained trigonal Te has been predicted to host Weyl nodes supported by a non-symmorphic chiral symmetry. Using low-pressure physical vapor deposition, we systematically explored the growth of trigonal Te nanowires with naturally occurring strain caused by curvature of the wires. Raman spectra and high mobility electronic transport attest to the highly crystalline nature of the wires. Comparison of Raman spectra for both straight and curved nanowires indicates a breathing mode that is significantly broader and shifted in frequency for the curved wires. Strain induced by curvature during growth therefore may provide a simple pathway to investigate topological phases in trigonal Te.

Floquet Chiral Magnetic Effect

A single Weyl fermion, which is prohibited in static lattice systems by the Nielsen-Ninomiya theorem, is shown to be realized in a periodically driven three-dimensional lattice system with a topologically nontrivial Floquet unitary operator, manifesting the chiral magnetic effect. We give a topological classification of Floquet unitary operators in the Altland-Zirnbauer symmetry classes for all dimensions, and use it to predict that all gapless surface states of topological insulators and superconductors can emerge in bulk quasienergy spectra of Floquet systems.

Topological Lifshitz transitions and Fermi arc manipulation in Weyl semimetal NbAs

Surface Fermi arcs (SFAs), the unique open Fermi-surfaces (FSs) discovered recently in topological Weyl semimetals (TWSs), are unlike closed FSs in conventional materials and can give rise to many exotic phenomena, such as anomalous SFA-mediated quantum oscillations, chiral magnetic effects, three-dimensional quantum Hall effect, non-local voltage generation and anomalous electromagnetic wave transmission. Here, by using in-situ surface decoration, we demonstrate successful manipulation of the shape, size and even the connections of SFAs in a model TWS, NbAs, and observe their evolution that leads to an unusual topological Lifshitz transition not caused by the change of the carrier concentration. The phase transition teleports the SFAs between different parts of the surface Brillouin zone. Despite the dramatic surface evolution, the existence of SFAs is robust and each SFA remains tied to a pair of Weyl points of opposite chirality, as dictated by the bulk topology.

Surface Fermi arcs (SFAs) are characteristic features of a topological Weyl semimetal but there is no easy way to manipulate them so far. Here, the authors report manipulation of the shape, size and connections of SFAs in a Weyl semimetal NbAs, leading to an unusual topological Lifshitz transition.

Chiral magnetic chemical bonds in molecular states of impurities in Weyl semimetals

We demonstrate that chirality of the electron scattering in Weyl semimetals leads to the formation of magnetic chemical bonds for molecular states of a pair of impurities. The effect is associated with the presence of time-reversal symmetry breaking terms in the Hamiltonian which drive a crossover from s- to p-wave scattering. The profiles of the corresponding molecular orbitals and their spin polarizations are defined by the relative orientation of the lines connecting two Weyl nodes and two impurities. The magnetic character of the molecular orbitals and their tunability open the way for using doped Weyl semimetals for spintronics and realization of qubits.

Topological Semimetals in the SnTe Material Class: Nodal Lines and Weyl Points

We theoretically show that IV-VI semiconducting compounds with low-temperature rhombohedral crystal structure represent a new potential platform for topological semimetals. By means of minimal k·p models, we find that the two-step structural symmetry reduction of the high-temperature rocksalt crystal structure, comprising a rhombohedral distortion along the [111] direction followed by a relative shift of the cation and anion sublattices, gives rise to topologically protected Weyl semimetal and nodal line semimetal phases. We derive general expressions for the nodal features and apply our results to SnTe, showing explicitly how Weyl points and nodal lines emerge in this system. Experimentally, the topological semimetals could potentially be realized in the low-temperature ferroelectric phase of SnTe, GeTe, and related alloys.

Observation of Weyl Nodes in Robust Type-II Weyl Semimetal WP_{2}

Distinct to type-I Weyl semimetals (WSMs) that host quasiparticles described by the Weyl equation, the energy dispersion of quasiparticles in type-II WSMs violates Lorentz invariance and the Weyl cones in the momentum space are tilted. Since it was proposed that type-II Weyl fermions could emerge from (W,Mo)Te_{2} and (W,Mo)P_{2} families of materials, a large number of experiments have been dedicated to unveiling the possible manifestation of type-II WSMs, e.g., surface-state Fermi arcs. However, the interpretations of the experimental results are very controversial. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy supported by the first-principles calculations, we probe the tilted Weyl cone bands in the bulk electronic structure of WP_{2} directly, which are at the origin of Fermi arcs at the surfaces and transport properties related to the chiral anomaly in type-II WSMs. Our results ascertain that, due to the spin-orbit coupling, the Weyl nodes originate from the splitting of fourfold degenerate band-crossing points with Chern numbers C=±2 induced by the crystal symmetries of WP_{2}, which is unique among all the discovered WSMs. Our finding also provides a guiding line to observe the chiral anomaly that could manifest in novel transport properties.

Chaotic transport of electron wave packet in Weyl semimetal slab

We theoretically study the quantum transport of an electron wave packet on the Fermi arcs and in the bulk of a Weyl semimetal slab. The numerical analysis of the dynamical equations obtained from the Heisenberg equation of motion reveals that the electron motion in the Weyl semimetal exhibits interesting unusual effects. In particular, signatures of chaotic behavior in the transport of the electron wave packet are observed that are diagnosed by the relevant out-of-time-order correlation function and are analyzed using Poincaré maps. We attribute the appearance of such chaotic transport of the electron wave packet to the interplay of Zitterbewegung and cyclotron oscillations in the Weyl semimetal slab. The chaotic nature of the electron transport is exhibited both along the Fermi arcs and in the bulk of the slab, depending strongly upon the spin orientation of the electron. In the presence of a magnetic field, both interband and intraband (cyclotron) frequencies contribute to the resulting oscillation frequency of the electron motion.

Orbital Fingerprint of Topological Fermi Arcs in the Weyl Semimetal TaP

The monopnictides TaAs and TaP are well-established Weyl semimetals. Yet, a precise assignment of Fermi arcs, accommodating the predicted chiral charge of the bulk Weyl points, has been difficult in these systems, and the topological character of different surface features in the Fermi surface is not fully understood. Here, employing a joint analysis from linear dichroism in angle-resolved photoemission and first-principles calculations, we unveil the orbital texture on the full Fermi surface of TaP(001). We observe pronounced switches in the orbital texture at the projected Weyl nodes, and show how they facilitate a topological classification of the surface band structure. Our findings establish a critical role of the orbital degrees of freedom in mediating the surface-bulk connectivity in Weyl semimetals.

Fermi-Arc-Induced Vortex Structure in Weyl Beam Shifts

In periodic media, despite the close relationship between geometrical effects in the bulk and topological surface states, the two are typically probed separately. We show that when beams in a Weyl medium reflect off an interface with a gapped medium, the trajectory is influenced by both bulk geometrical effects and the Fermi arc surface states. The reflected beam experiences a displacement, analogous to the Goos-Hänchen or Imbert-Fedorov shifts, that forms a half-vortex in the two-dimensional surface momentum space. The half-vortex is centered where the Fermi arc of the reflecting surface touches the Weyl cone, with the magnitude of the shift scaling as an inverse square root away from the touching point, and diverging at the touching point. This striking feature provides a way to use bulk transport to probe the topological characteristics of a Weyl medium.

Thermodynamic Signatures of Weyl Fermions in NbP

We present a high magnetic field study of NbP—a member of the monopnictide Weyl semimetal (WSM) family. While the monoarsenides (NbAs and TaAs) have topologically distinct left and right-handed Weyl fermi surfaces, NbP is argued to be “topologically trivial” due to the fact that all pairs of Weyl nodes are encompassed by a single Fermi surface. We use torque magnetometry to measure the magnetic response of NbP up to 60 tesla and uncover a Berry paramagnetic response, characteristic of the topological Weyl nodes, across the entire field range. At the quantum limit B^* (≈32 T), τ/B experiences a change in slope when the chemical potential enters the last Landau level. Our calculations confirm that this magnetic response arises from band topology of the Weyl pocket, even though the Fermi surface encompasses both Weyl nodes at zero magnetic field. We also find that the magnetic field pulls the chemical potential to the chiral n = 0 Landau level in the quantum limit, providing a disorder-free way of accessing chiral Weyl fermions in systems that are “not quite” WSMs in zero magnetic field.

Chirality Josephson Current Due to a Novel Quantum Anomaly in Inversion-Asymmetric Weyl Semimetals

We study Josephson junctions based on inversion-asymmetric but time-reversal symmetric Weyl semimetals under the influence of Zeeman fields. We find that, due to distinct spin textures, the Weyl nodes of opposite chirality respond differently to an external magnetic field. Remarkably, a Zeeman field perpendicular to the junction direction results in a phase shift of opposite sign in the current-phase relations of opposite chirality. This leads to a finite chirality Josephson current (CJC) even in the absence of a phase difference across the junction. This feature could allow for applications in chiralitytronics. In the long junction and zero temperature limit, the CJC embodies a novel quantum anomaly of Goldstone bosons at π phase difference which is associated with a Z_{2} symmetry at low energies. It can be detected experimentally via an anomalous Fraunhofer pattern.

Vanishing Density of States in Weakly Disordered Weyl Semimetals

The Brillouin zone of the clean Weyl semimetal contains points at which the density of states (DOS) vanishes. Previous work suggested that below a certain critical concentration of impurities this feature is preserved including in the presence of disorder. This result got criticized for its neglect of rare disorder fluctuations which might bind quantum states and hence generate a finite DOS. We here show that in spite of their existence these states are so fragile that their contribution effectively vanishes when averaged over continuous disorder distributions. This means that the integrity of the nodal points remains protected for weak disorder.

Three-Dimensional Chiral Lattice Fermion in Floquet Systems

We show that the Nielsen-Ninomiya no-go theorem still holds on a Floquet lattice: there is an equal number of right-handed and left-handed Weyl points in a three-dimensional Floquet lattice. However, in the adiabatic limit, where the time evolution of the low-energy subspace is decoupled from the high-energy subspace, we show that the bulk dynamics in the low-energy subspace can be described by Floquet bands with extra left- or right-handed Weyl points, despite the no-go theorem. Assuming adiabatic evolution of two bands, we show that the difference of the number of right-handed and left-handed Weyl points equals twice the winding number of the adiabatic Floquet operator over the Brillouin zone. Based on these findings, we propose a realization of purely left- or right-handed Weyl particles on a 3D lattice using a Hamiltonian obtained through dimensional reduction of a four-dimensional quantum Hall system. We argue that the breakdown of the adiabatic approximation on the surface facilitates unusual closed orbits of wave packets in an applied magnetic field, which traverse alternatively through the low-energy and high-energy sector of the spectrum.

Chiral Landau levels in Weyl semimetal NbAs with multiple topological carriers

Recently, Weyl semimetals have been experimentally discovered in both inversion-symmetry-breaking and time-reversal-symmetry-breaking crystals. The non-trivial topology in Weyl semimetals can manifest itself with exotic phenomena, which have been extensively investigated by photoemission and transport measurements. Despite the numerous experimental efforts on Fermi arcs and chiral anomaly, the existence of unconventional zeroth Landau levels, as a unique hallmark of Weyl fermions, which is highly related to chiral anomaly, remains elusive owing to the stringent experimental requirements. Here, we report the magneto-optical study of Landau quantization in Weyl semimetal NbAs. High magnetic fields drive the system toward the quantum limit, which leads to the observation of zeroth chiral Landau levels in two inequivalent Weyl nodes. As compared to other Landau levels, the zeroth chiral Landau level exhibits a distinct linear dispersion in magnetic field direction and allows the optical transitions without the limitation of zero z momentum or [Formula: see text] magnetic field evolution. The magnetic field dependence of the zeroth Landau levels further verifies the predicted particle-hole asymmetry of the Weyl cones. Meanwhile, the optical transitions from the normal Landau levels exhibit the coexistence of multiple carriers including an unexpected massive Dirac fermion, pointing to a more complex topological nature in inversion-symmetry-breaking Weyl semimetals. Our results provide insights into the Landau quantization of Weyl fermions and demonstrate an effective tool for studying complex topological systems.

Electronic transport property in Weyl semimetal with local Weyl cone tilt

In realistic materials of Weyl semimetal (WSM), the Weyl cone tilt (WCT) is allowed due to the absence of Lorentz invariance in condensed matter physics. In this context, we theoretically study the electronic transport property in WSM with the local WCT as the scattering mechanism. In so doing, we establish an electronic transport structure of WSM with the WCT occurring only in the central region sandwiched between two pieces of semi-infinite WSM without the WCT. By means of two complementary theoretical approaches, i.e. the continuum-model method and the lattice-model method, the electronic transmission probability, the conductivity and the Fano factor as functions of the incident electron energy are calculated respectively. We find that the WCT can give rise to nontrivial intervalley scattering, as a result, the Klein tunneling is notably suppressed. More importantly, the minimal conductivity of a WSM shifts in energy from the Weyl nodal point. The Fano factor of the shot noise deviates obviously from the sub-Poissonian value in a two dimensional WSM with the WCT.

Anomalous DC Hall response in noncentrosymmetric tilted Weyl semimetals

Weyl nodes come in pairs of opposite chirality. For broken time reversal symmetry (TR) they are displaced in momentum space by [Formula: see text] and the anomalous DC Hall conductivity [Formula: see text] is proportional to [Formula: see text] at charge neutrality. For finite doping there are additive corrections to [Formula: see text] which depend on the chemical potential as well as on the tilt ([Formula: see text]) of the Dirac cones and on their relative orientation. If inversion symmetry (I) is also broken the Weyl nodes are shifted in energy by an amount [Formula: see text]. This introduces further changes in [Formula: see text] and we provide simple analytic formulas for these modifications for both type I ([Formula: see text]) and type II ([Formula: see text], overtilted) Weyl. For type I when the Weyl nodes have equal magnitude but oppositely directed tilts, the correction to [Formula: see text] is proportional to the chemical potential μ and completely independent of the energy shift [Formula: see text]. When instead the tilts are parallel, the correction is linear in [Formula: see text] and μ drops out. For type II the corrections involve both μ and [Formula: see text], are nonlinear and also involve a momentum cut off. We discuss the implied changes to the Nernst coefficient and to the thermal Hall effect of a finite [Formula: see text].

Nonsymmorphic symmetry protected node-line semimetal in the trigonal YH3

Using ab initio calculations based on density-functional theory and effective model analysis, we propose that the trigonal YH₃ (Space Group: P\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\bar{{\bf{3}}}$$\end{document}3¯c1) at ambient pressure is a node-line semimetal when spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is ignored. This trigonal YH₃ has very clean electronic structure near Fermi level and its nodal lines locate very closely to the Fermi energy, which makes it a perfect system for model analysis. Symmetry analysis shows that the nodal ring in this compound is protected by the glide-plane symmetry, where the band inversion of |Y⁺, d_xz〉 and |H1⁻, s〉 orbits at Γ point is responsible for the formation of the nodal lines. When SOC is included, the line nodes are prohibited by the glide-plane symmetry, and a small gap (≈5 meV) appears, which leads YH₃ to be a strong topological insulator with Z₂ indices (1,000). Thus the glide-plane symmetry plays an opposite role in the formation of the nodal lines in cases without and with SOC. As the SOC-induced gap is so small that can be neglected, this P\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\bar{{\bf{3}}}$$\end{document}3¯c1 YH₃ may be a good candidate for experimental explorations on the fundamental physics of topological node-line semimetals. We find the surface states of this P\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\bar{{\bf{3}}}$$\end{document}3¯c1 phase are somehow unique and may be helpful to identify the real ground state of YH₃ in the experiment.

Optical response in Weyl semimetal in model with gapped Dirac phase

We study the optical properties of Weyl semimetal (WSM) in a model which features, in addition to the usual term describing isolated Dirac cones proportional to the Fermi velocity v _F, a gap term m and a Zeeman spin-splitting term b with broken time reversal symmetry. Transport is treated within Kubo formalism and particular attention is payed to the modifications that result from a finite m and b. We consider how these modifications change when a finite residual scattering rate [Formula: see text] is included. For [Formula: see text] the A.C. conductivity as a function of photon energy [Formula: see text] continues to display the two quasilinear energy regions of the clean limit for [Formula: see text] below the onset of the second electronic band which is gapped at ([Formula: see text]). For [Formula: see text] of the order m little trace of two distinct linear energy scales remain and the optical response has evolved towards that for [Formula: see text]. Although some quantitative differences remain there are no qualitative differences. The magnitude of the D.C. conductivity [Formula: see text] at zero temperature ([Formula: see text]) and chemical potential ([Formula: see text]) is altered. While it remains proportional to [Formula: see text] it becomes inversely dependent on an effective Fermi velocity out of the Weyl nodes equal to [Formula: see text] which decreases strongly as the phase boundary between Weyl semimetal and gapped Dirac phase (GDSM) is approached at [Formula: see text]. The leading term in the approach to [Formula: see text] for finite [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is found to be quadratic. The coefficient of these corrections tracks closely the [Formula: see text] dependence of the [Formula: see text] limit with differences largest near to the WSM-GDSM boundary.

Topological semimetal in honeycomb lattice LnSI

Recognized as elementary particles in the standard model, Weyl fermions in condensed matter have received growing attention. However, most of the previously reported Weyl semimetals exhibit rather complicated electronic structures that, in turn, may have raised questions regarding the underlying physics. Here, we report promising topological phases that can be realized in specific honeycomb lattices, including ideal Weyl semimetal structures, 3D strong topological insulators, and nodal-line semimetal configurations. In particular, we highlight a semimetal featuring both Weyl nodes and nodal lines. Guided by this model, we showed that GdSI, the long-perceived ideal Weyl semimetal, has two pairs of Weyl nodes residing at the Fermi level and that LuSI (YSI) is a 3D strong topological insulator with the right-handed helical surface states. Our work provides a mechanism to study topological semimetals and proposes a platform for exploring the physics of Weyl semimetals as well as related device designs.

Unusual interlayer quantum transport behavior caused by the zeroth Landau level in YbMnBi2

Relativistic fermions in topological quantum materials are characterized by linear energy-momentum dispersion near band crossing points. Under magnetic fields, relativistic fermions acquire Berry phase of π in cyclotron motion, leading to a zeroth Landau level (LL) at the crossing point, a signature unique to relativistic fermions. Here we report the unusual interlayer quantum transport behavior resulting from the zeroth LL mode observed in the time reversal symmetry breaking type II Weyl semimetal YbMnBi2. The interlayer magnetoresistivity and Hall conductivity of this material are found to exhibit surprising angular dependences under high fields, which can be well fitted by a model, which considers the interlayer quantum tunneling transport of the zeroth LL's Weyl fermions. Our results shed light on the unusual role of zeroth LLl mode in transport.The transport behavior of the carriers residing in the lowest Landau level is hard to observe in most topological materials. Here, Liu et al. report a surprising angular dependence of the interlayer magnetoresistivity and Hall conductivity arising from the lowest Landau level under high magnetic field in type II Weyl semimetal YbMnBi2.

A magnetic topological semimetal Sr1-yMn1-zSb2 (y, z < 0.1)

Weyl (WSMs) evolve from Dirac semimetals in the presence of broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS) or space-inversion symmetry. The WSM phases in TaAs-class materials and photonic crystals are due to the loss of space-inversion symmetry. For TRS-breaking WSMs, despite numerous theoretical and experimental efforts, few examples have been reported. In this Article, we report a new type of magnetic semimetal Sr_1-yMn_1-zSb₂ (y, z < 0.1) with nearly massless relativistic fermion behaviour (m^∗ =  0.04 - 0.05m₀, where m₀ is the free-electron mass). This material exhibits a ferromagnetic order for 304 K  <  T  <  565 K, but a canted antiferromagnetic order with a ferromagnetic component for T  <  304 K. The combination of relativistic fermion behaviour and ferromagnetism in Sr_1-yMn_1-zSb₂ offers a rare opportunity to investigate the interplay between relativistic fermions and spontaneous TRS breaking.

Simulation on the electronic wave packet cyclotron motion in a Weyl semimetal slab

We perform a numerical simulation on the time evolution of an electronic wave packet in a Weyl semimetal (WSM) slab driven by a magnetic field. We find that the evolution trajectory of the wave packet depends sensitively on its initial spin state. Only with initial spin state identical to that of the Fermi arc state at the surface it localized, does the wave packet evolution demonstrate the characteristic cyclotron orbit of WSM previously predicted from a semiclassical viewpoint. By analyzing the eigen-expansion of the electronic wave packet, we find the chiral Landau levels (LLs) of the WSM slab, as ingredients of the wave packet, to be responsible for establishing the characteristic WSM cyclotron orbit. In contrast, the nonchiral LLs contribute irregular oscillations to the wave packet evolution, going against the formation of a well-defined cyclotron orbit. In addition, the tilted magnetic field does not affect the motion of the electronic wave packet along the Fermi arcs in the momentum space. It does, however, alter the evolution trajectory of the electronic wave packet in real space and spin space. Finally, the energy disalignment of the Weyl nodes results in a 3D cyclotron orbit in real space.