Quasiparticle interference of Fermi arc states in the type-II Weyl semimetal candidate WTe2

Abstract

Weyl semimetals possess linear dispersions through pairs of Weyl nodes in three-dimensional momentum spaces, whose hallmark arclike surface states are connected to Weyl nodes with different chirality. $\mathrm{WT}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}$ was recently predicted to be a new type of Weyl semimetal. Here, we study the quasiparticle interference (QPI) of its Fermi arc surface states by combined spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. We observed the electron scattering on two types of $\mathrm{WT}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}$ surfaces unambiguously. Its scattering signal can be ascribed mainly to trivial surface states. We also address the QPI feature of nontrivial surface states from theoretical calculations. The experimental QPI patterns show some features that are likely related to the nontrivial Fermi arc states, whose existence is, however, not conclusive. Our study provides an indispensable clue for studying the Weyl semimetal phase in $\mathrm{WT}{\mathrm{e}}_{2}$.