Persistent Current due to a Screw Dislocation in Weyl Semimetals: Role of One-Dimensional Chiral States

Abstract

A Weyl semimetal pierced by a screw dislocation accommodates one-dimensional (1D) chiral states along the corresponding dislocation line. As these states propagate in a particular direction determined by their chirality, a persistent current (i.e., charge current in equilibrium) is expected to appear in the interior of the system. To confirm this expectation, we numerically calculate the charge current in a Weyl semimetal in the presence of a screw dislocation. It is shown that a significant charge current is induced by the 1D chiral states near the dislocation. We also analyze the spatial distribution of the charge current focusing on the top and bottom surfaces of the system, at which the screw dislocation is terminated, and give an overview of how the charge current due to the dislocation is converted to that carried by other states near the termination point of the dislocation.