Effect of Interactions on the Quantization of the Chiral Photocurrent for Double-Weyl Semimetals

Direction-dependent conductivity in planar Hall set-ups with tilted Weyl/multi-Weyl semimetals

We compute the magnetoelectric conductivity tensors in planar Hall set-ups, which are built with tilted Weyl semimetals (WSMs) and multi-Weyl semimetals (mWSMs), considering all possible relative orientations of the electromagnetic fields (EandB) and the direction of the tilt. The non-Drude part of the response arises from a nonzero Berry curvature in the vicinity of the WSM/mWSM node under consideration. Only in the presence of a nonzero tilt do we find linear-in-|B|terms in set-ups where the tilt-axis is not perpendicular to the plane spanned byEandB. The advantage of the emergence of the linear-in-|B|terms is that, unlike the various|B|2-dependent terms that can contribute to experimental observations, they have purely a topological origin, and they dominate the overall response-characteristics in the realistic parameter regimes. The important signatures of these terms are that they (1) change the periodicity of the response fromπto 2π, when we consider their dependence on the angleθbetweenEandB; and (2) lead to an overall change in sign of the conductivity depending onθ, when measured with respect to theB=0case.

Topological Circular Dichroism in Chiral Multifold Semimetals

Uncovering the physical contents of the nontrivial topology of quantum states is a critical problem in condensed matter physics. Here, we study the topological circular dichroism in chiral semimetals using linear response theory and first-principles calculations. We show that, when the low-energy spectrum respects emergent SO(3) rotational symmetry, topological circular dichroism is forbidden for Weyl fermions, and thus is unique to chiral multifold fermions. This is a result of the selection rule that is imposed by the emergent symmetry under the combination of particle-hole conjugation and spatial inversion. Using first-principles calculations, we predict that topological circular dichroism occurs in CoSi for photon energy below about 0.2 eV. Our Letter demonstrates the existence of a response property of unconventional fermions that is fundamentally different from the response of Dirac and Weyl fermions, motivating further study to uncover other unique responses.

Topology and geometry under the nonlinear electromagnetic spotlight

For many materials, a precise knowledge of their dispersion spectra is insufficient to predict their ordered phases and physical responses. Instead, these materials are classified by the geometrical and topological properties of their wavefunctions. A key challenge is to identify and implement experiments that probe or control these quantum properties. In this Review, we describe recent progress in this direction, focusing on nonlinear electromagnetic responses that arise directly from quantum geometry and topology. We give an overview of the field by discussing theoretical ideas, experiments and the materials that drive them. We conclude by discussing how these techniques can be combined with device architectures to uncover, probe and ultimately control quantum phases with emergent topological and correlated properties.

Floquet scattering of quadratic band-touching semimetals through a time-periodic potential well

We consider tunneling of quasiparticles through a rectangular quantum well, subject to periodic driving. The quasiparticles are the itinerant charges in two-dimensional and three-dimensional semimetals having a quadratic bandtouching (QBT) point in the Brillouin zone. To analyze the time-periodic Hamiltonian, we assume a non-adiabatic limit where the Floquet theorem is applicable. By deriving the Floquet scattering matrices, we chalk out the transmission and shot noise spectra of the QBT semimetals. The spectra show Fano resonances, which we identify with the (quasi)bound states of the systems.