Thermodynamic properties of topological crystalline insulator SnTe (001) thin film in the presence of Zeeman magnetic field

Abstract

Abstract Multiple surface Dirac cones in topological crystalline insulators motivate the researchers to tune the topological phase. In the present work, we theoretically study the longitudinal, transverse and in-plane Zeeman magnetic field effects on the electronic density of states (DOS), electronic heat capacity (EHC) and Pauli spin paramagnetic susceptibility (PSPS) [on behalf of the electrical, thermal and magnetical properties, respectively] of topological crystalline insulator SnTe (001) and related alloys thin films. In doing so, we implement the Dirac theory, Green’s function approach, and the Boltzmann method. First, we found that EHC and PSPS decrease with hybridization potential due to the hybridization-induced gap in DOS. Second, the Weyl cones appear [result from the van Hove singularities around the Fermi level] when the Zeeman field is greater than the hybridization potential. Third, the Zeeman splitting and shifting of bands are characterized by the van Hove singularities in the vicinity of the Fermi level and the degenerate states, the Schottky anomaly and the crossover in DOS, EHC and PSPS, respectively. Our findings show that the EHC (PSPS) increases (decreases) with Zeeman fields. The predicted results may be useful for designing nanoelectronic and spintronic TCI-based devices.