Magnetic Weyl and quadratic nodal lines in inverse-Heusler-based fully compensated ferrimagnetic half-metals

Abstract

Heusler alloys, a class of easily prepared, highly ordered intermetallic compounds, were first reported in 1903. Since then, Heusler alloys have presented various physical phenomena in modern condensed-matter physics. Among Heusler alloys, Heusler-based fully compensated ferrimagnetic half-metals (FCF-HMs) are, particularly, relevant because they host fully spin polarization and have no net magnetic moment, making them have no stray field and less affected by external magnetic fields. Based on first-principles calculations and a tight-binding Hamiltonian model, we provide new insight into inverse-Heusler-based (IHB) FCF-HMs and reveal that they exhibit spin-polarized Weyl and quadratic nodal lines as well as spin-polarized drumheadlike surface states. This paper presents the electron-filling-based design rule and material candidates for IHB FCF-HMs and suggests that IHB FCF-HMs are promising candidates for follow-up investigations in the field of topological spintronics. Subsequent experimental confirmation of the topological states in IHB FCF-HMs is imminent.