Three-dimensional topological plasmons in Weyl semimetals

Abstract

We systematically investigate the properties of bulk, surface and edge plasmons in Weyl semimetals in presence of a magnetic field. It is found that unidirectional plasmons with different properties exist on different surfaces, which is in consistent with the nontrivial topology of the three-dimensional (3D) bulk plasmons. These novel plasmons possess momentum-location lock and may travel between surfaces. The anomalous Hall conductivity brings about abundant anisotropic plasmon dispersions, from linear to parabolic or even hyperbolic bands. With the help of a semiclassical picture for the formation of the Weyl orbits, we point out the Fermi-arc plasmons at opposite surfaces can make up another unique 3D topological plasmon. Furthermore, there is a gapless unidirectional edge plasmon protected by the topology whose direction and position can be controlled by external field. Our work thus uncovers topological features of Weyl plasmons, which may have important applications in photoelectric devices based on chiral/topological plasmonics.