Dirac Semimetal State Research Articles

Finite-temperature valence-bond-solid transitions and thermodynamic properties of interactingSU(2N)Dirac fermions

We investigate the SU($2N$) symmetry effects with $2N>2$ on the two-dimensional interacting Dirac fermions at finite temperatures, including the valence-bond-solid transition, the Pomeranchuk effect, the compressibility and the uniform spin susceptibility, by performing the determinant quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the half-filled SU($2N$) Hubbard model on a honeycomb lattice. The columnar valence-bond-solid (cVBS) phase only breaks the three-fold discrete symmetry, and thus can survive at finite temperatures. The disordered phase in the weak coupling regime is the thermal Dirac semi-metal state, while in the strong coupling regime it is largely a Mott state in which the cVBS order is thermally melted. The calculated entropy-temperature relations for various values of the Hubbard interaction $U$ show that, the Pomeranchuk effect occurs when the specific entropy is below a characteristic value of $S^*$ --- the maximal entropy per particle from the spin channel of local moments. The SU($2N$) symmetry enhances the Pomeranchuk effect, which facilitates the interaction-induced adiabatic cooling. Our work sheds new light on future explorations of novel states of matter with ultra-cold large-spin alkaline fermions.

Creating stable Floquet\u2013Weyl semimetals by laser-driving of 3D Dirac materials

Tuning and stabilizing topological states, such as Weyl semimetals, Dirac semimetals or topological insulators, is emerging as one of the major topics in materials science. Periodic driving of many-body systems offers a platform to design Floquet states of matter with tunable electronic properties on ultrafast timescales. Here we show by first principles calculations how femtosecond laser pulses with circularly polarized light can be used to switch between Weyl semimetal, Dirac semimetal and topological insulator states in a prototypical three-dimensional (3D) Dirac material, Na3Bi. Our findings are general and apply to any 3D Dirac semimetal. We discuss the concept of time-dependent bands and steering of Floquet–Weyl points and demonstrate how light can enhance topological protection against lattice perturbations. This work has potential practical implications for the ultrafast switching of materials properties, such as optical band gaps or anomalous magnetoresistance.

Synthetic-gauge-field-induced Dirac semimetal state in an acoustic resonator system

Recently, a proposal of synthetic gauge field in reduced two-dimensional (2D) system from three-dimensional (3D) acoustic structure shows an analogue of the gapped Haldane model with fixed kz, and achieves the gapless Weyl semimetal phase in 3D momentum space. Here, extending this approach of synthetic gauge flux, we propose a reduced square lattice of acoustic resonators, which exhibits Dirac nodes with broken effective time-reversal symmetry. Protected by an additional hidden symmetry, these Dirac nodes with quantized values of topological charge are characterized by nonzero winding number and the finite structure exhibits flat edge modes that cannot be destroyed by perturbations.

Electronic structure, Dirac points and Fermi arc surface states in three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Na3Bi from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11574367), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. 2013CB921700, 2013CB921904, and 2015CB921300), and the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB07020300). The

The three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetals have linearly dispersive 3D Dirac nodes where the conduction band and valence band are connected. They have isolated 3D Dirac nodes in the whole Brillouin zone and can be viewed as a 3D counterpart of graphene. Recent theoretical calculations and experimental results indicate that the 3D Dirac semimetal state can be realized in a simple stoichiometric compound A3Bi (A = Na, K, Rb). Here we report comprehensive high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) measurements on the two cleaved surfaces, (001) and (100), of Na3Bi. On the (001) surface, by comparison with theoretical calculations, we provide a proper assignment of the observed bands, and in particular, pinpoint the band that is responsible for the formation of the three-dimensional Dirac cones. We observe clear evidence of 3D Dirac cones in the three-dimensional momentum space by directly measuring on the kx–ky plane and by varying the photon energy to get access to different out-of-plane kzs. In addition, we reveal new features around the Brillouin zone corners that may be related with surface reconstruction. On the (100) surface, our ARPES measurements over a large momentum space raise an issue on the selection of the basic Brillouin zone in the (100) plane. We directly observe two isolated 3D Dirac nodes on the (100) surface. We observe the signature of the Fermi-arc surface states connecting the two 3D Dirac nodes that extend to a binding energy of ∼150 meV before merging into the bulk band. Our observations constitute strong evidence on the existence of the Dirac semimetal state in Na3Bi that are consistent with previous theoretical and experimental work. In addition, our results provide new information to clarify on the nature of the band that forms the 3D Dirac cones, on the possible formation of surface reconstruction of the (001) surface, and on the issue of basic Brillouin zone selection for the (100) surface.

Observation of Dirac-like semi-metallic phase in NdSb

The search of new topological phases of matter is one of the new directions in condensed matter physics. Recent experimental realizations of Dirac semimetal phases pave the way to look for other exotic phases of matter in real materials. Here we present a systematic angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study of NdSb, a potential candidate for hosting a Dirac semi-metal phase. Our studies reveal two hole-like Fermi surface pockets present at the zone center () point as well as two elliptical electron-pockets present in the zone corner (X) point of the Brillouin zone (BZ). Interestingly, Dirac-like linearly dispersive states are observed about the zone corner (X) point in NdSb. Our first-principles calculations agree with the experimentally observed bands at the point. Moreover, the Dirac-like state observed in NdSb may be a novel correlated state, not yet predicted in calculations. Our study opens a new direction to look for Dirac semi-metal states in other members of the rare earth monopnictide family.

Unconventional spin Hall effect and axial current generation in a Dirac semimetal

We investigate electrical transport in a three-dimensional massless Dirac fermion model that describes a Dirac semimetal state realized in topological materials. We derive a set of interdependent diffusion equations with eight local degrees of freedom, including the electric charge density and the spin density, that respond to an external electric field. By solving the diffusion equations for a system with a boundary, we demonstrate that a spin Hall effect with spin accumulation occurs even though the conventional spin current operator is zero. The Noether current associated with chiral symmetry, known as the axial current, is also discussed. We demonstrate that the axial current flows near the boundary and that it is perpendicular to the electric current.

Emergence of Two-Dimensional Massless Dirac Fermions, Chiral Pseudospins, and Berry's Phase in Potassium Doped Few-Layer Black Phosphorus.

Thin flakes of black phosphorus (BP) are a two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor whose energy gap is predicted being sensitive to the number of layers and external perturbations. Very recently, it was found that a simple method of potassium (K) doping on the surface of BP closes its band gap completely, producing a Dirac semimetal state with a linear band dispersion in the armchair direction and a quadratic one in the zigzag direction. Here, based on first-principles density functional calculations, we predict that, beyond the critical K density of the gap closure, 2D massless Dirac Fermions (i.e., Dirac cones) emerge in K-doped few-layer BP, with linear band dispersions in all momentum directions, and the electronic states around Dirac points have chiral pseudospins and Berry's phase. These features are robust with respect to the spin-orbit interaction and may lead to graphene-like electronic transport properties with greater flexibility for potential device applications.

2D MATERIALS. Observation of tunable band gap and anisotropic Dirac semimetal state in black phosphorus.

Black phosphorus consists of stacked layers of phosphorene, a two-dimensional semiconductor with promising device characteristics. We report the realization of a widely tunable band gap in few-layer black phosphorus doped with potassium using an in situ surface doping technique. Through band structure measurements and calculations, we demonstrate that a vertical electric field from dopants modulates the band gap, owing to the giant Stark effect, and tunes the material from a moderate-gap semiconductor to a band-inverted semimetal. At the critical field of this band inversion, the material becomes a Dirac semimetal with anisotropic dispersion, linear in armchair and quadratic in zigzag directions. The tunable band structure of black phosphorus may allow great flexibility in design and optimization of electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Breakdown of three-dimensional Dirac semimetal state in pressurizedCd3As2

We report an observation of a pressure-induced breakdown of the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal (3D-DSM) state in Cd3As2, evidenced by a series of in situ high-pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction and single-crystal transport measurements. We find that Cd3As2 undergoes a structural phase transition from a metallic tetragonal phase in space group I41/acd to a semiconducting monoclinic phase in space group P21/c at critical pressure 2.57 GPa; above this pressure, an activation energy gap appears, accompanied by distinct switches in Hall resistivity slope and electron mobility. These changes of crystal symmetry and corresponding transport properties manifest the breakdown of the 3DDSM state in pressurized Cd3As2.Received 4 January 2015Revised 5 April 2015DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.91.165133©2015 American Physical Society

Large linear magnetoresistance in the Dirac semimetal TlBiSSe

The mixed-chalcogenide compound TlBiSSe realizes a three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal state. In clean, low-carrier-density single crystals of this material, we found Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations to signify its 3D Dirac nature. Moreover, we observed very large linear magnetoresistance (MR) approaching 10,000% in 14 T at 1.8 K, which diminishes rapidly above 30 K. Our analysis of the magnetotransport data points to the possibility that the linear MR is fundamentally governed by the Hall field; although such a situation has been predicted for highly-inhomogeneous systems, inhomogeneity does not seem to play an important role in TlBiSSe. Hence, the mechanism of large linear MR is an intriguing open question in a clean 3D Dirac system.