Weyl and Dirac semimetals are three-dimensional phases of matter with gapless electronic excitations that are protected by topology and symmetry. As three-dimensional analogs of graphene, they have generated much recent interest. Deep connections exist with particle physics models of relativistic chiral fermions, and, despite their gaplessness, to solid-state topological and Chern insulators. Their characteristic electronic properties lead to protected surface states and novel responses to applied electric and magnetic fields. The theoretical foundations of these phases, their proposed realizations in solid-state systems, and recent experiments on candidate materials as well as their relation to other states of matter are reviewed.

Weyl and Dirac semimetals in three-dimensional solids

Ever since its discovery, the Berry phase has permeated through all branches of physics. Over the last three decades, it was gradually realized that the Berry phase of the electronic wave function can have a profound effect on material properties and is responsible for a spectrum of phenomena, such as ferroelectricity, orbital magnetism, various (quantum/anomalous/spin) Hall effects, and quantum charge pumping. This progress is summarized in a pedagogical manner in this review. We start with a brief summary of necessary background, followed by a detailed discussion of the Berry phase effect in a variety of solid state applications. A common thread of the review is the semiclassical formulation of electron dynamics, which is a versatile tool in the study of electron dynamics in the presence of electromagnetic fields and more general perturbations. Finally, we demonstrate a re-quantization method that converts a semiclassical theory to an effective quantum theory. It is clear that the Berry phase should be added as a basic ingredient to our understanding of basic material properties.

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Berry phase effects on electronic properties

Topological photonics is a rapidly emerging field of research in which geometrical and topological ideas are exploited to design and control the behavior of light. Drawing inspiration from the discovery of the quantum Hall effects and topological insulators in condensed matter, recent advances have shown how to engineer analogous effects also for photons, leading to remarkable phenomena such as the robust unidirectional propagation of light, which hold great promise for applications. Thanks to the flexibility and diversity of photonics systems, this field is also opening up new opportunities to realize exotic topological models and to probe and exploit topological effects in new ways. This article reviews experimental and theoretical developments in topological photonics across a wide range of experimental platforms, including photonic crystals, waveguides, metamaterials, cavities, optomechanics, silicon photonics, and circuit QED. A discussion of how changing the dimensionality and symmetries of photonics systems has allowed for the realization of different topological phases is offered, and progress in understanding the interplay of topology with non-Hermitian effects, such as dissipation, is reviewed. As an exciting perspective, topological photonics can be combined with optical nonlinearities, leading toward new collective phenomena and novel strongly correlated states of light, such as an analog of the fractional quantum Hall effect.

Topological Photonics

We present a review of experimental and theoretical studies of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE), focusing on recent developments that have provided a more complete framework for understanding this subtle phenomenon and have, in many instances, replaced controversy by clarity. Synergy between experimental and theoretical work, both playing a crucial role, has been at the heart of these advances. On the theoretical front, the adoption of Berry-phase concepts has established a link between the AHE and the topological nature of the Hall currents which originate from spin-orbit coupling. On the experimental front, new experimental studies of the AHE in transition metals, transition-metal oxides, spinels, pyrochlores, and metallic dilute magnetic semiconductors, have more clearly established systematic trends. These two developments in concert with first-principles electronic structure calculations, strongly favor the dominance of an intrinsic Berry-phase-related AHE mechanism in metallic ferromagnets with moderate conductivity. The intrinsic AHE can be expressed in terms of Berry-phase curvatures and it is therefore an intrinsic quantum mechanical property of a perfect cyrstal. An extrinsic mechanism, skew scattering from disorder, tends to dominate the AHE in highly conductive ferromagnets. We review the full modern semiclassical treatment of the AHE together with the more rigorous quantum-mechanical treatments based on the Kubo and Keldysh formalisms, taking into account multiband effects, and demonstrate the equivalence of all three linear response theories in the metallic regime. Finally we discuss outstanding issues and avenues for future investigation.

/pdf/anomalous-hall-effect-tyeyld308t.pdf

Anomalous hall effect

The electronic and optical properties and the recent progress in applications of 2D semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides with emphasis on strong excitonic effects, and spin- and valley-dependent properties are reviewed. Recent advances in the development of atomically thin layers of van der Waals bonded solids have opened up new possibilities for the exploration of 2D physics as well as for materials for applications. Among them, semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides, MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se), have bandgaps in the near-infrared to the visible region, in contrast to the zero bandgap of graphene. In the monolayer limit, these materials have been shown to possess direct bandgaps, a property well suited for photonics and optoelectronics applications. Here, we review the electronic and optical properties and the recent progress in applications of 2D semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides with emphasis on strong excitonic effects, and spin- and valley-dependent properties.

Photonics and optoelectronics of 2D semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides

Two-dimensional Bloch electrons in a uniform magnetic field exhibit a complex energy spectrum When static electric and magnetic modulations with a checkerboard pattern are superimposed on the uniform magnetic field, more structures and symmetries of the spectra are found, due to the additional adjustable parameters from the modulations We give a comprehensive report on these symmetries We have also found an electric-modulation induced energy gap, whose magnitude is independent of the strength of either the uniform or the modulated magnetic field This study is applicable to experimentally accessible systems and is related to the investigations on frustrated antiferromagnetism

https://arxiv.org/pdf/cond-mat/0308338.pdf

Energy Spectrum of Bloch Electrons Under Checkerboard Field Modulations

https://phy.ntnu.edu.tw/~changmc/Paper/tibi.pdf

Optical spectra of quantum dots: A non-adiabatic approach

The energy spectra of spin-1/2 electrons under two-dimensional magnetic field modulations are calculated beyond the one-band approximation. Our formulation is generally applicable to a modulation field with a rectangular lattice symmetry. The field distribution within a plaquette is otherwise arbitrary. The spectra being obtained are qualitatively different from their electric modulated counterparts. Peculiar features of the spectra are that, for an electron with a g factor precisely being equal to two, no matter how strong the modulation is, the zero-energy level seems to be unaffected by the modulation and is separated from higher energy levels with a nonzero energy gap. Moreover, there is a two-fold degenerancy for all states with positive energies with respect to spin flip. These features agree with earlier analytical studies of the periodically magnetic modulated systems.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/cond-mat/9711252.pdf

Multiband energy spectra of spin-1/2 electrons with two-dimensional magnetic modulations

Change of Hall conductance induced by band crossing

The effect of a one-dimensional periodic electrostatic modulation on quantum Hall systems with filling factor {nu}=1, is studied. We propose that, either when the amplitude of the modulation potential or the tilt angle of the magnetic field is varied, the system can undergo a first-order phase transition from a fully spin-polarized homogeneous state to a partially spin-polarized charge-density-wave state, and show hysteresis behavior of the spin polarization. This is confirmed by our self-consistent numerical calculations within the Hartree-Fock approximation.

Ming Che Chang

Papers

Energy Spectrum of Bloch Electrons Under Checkerboard Field Modulations

Optical spectra of quantum dots: A non-adiabatic approach

Multiband energy spectra of spin-1/2 electrons with two-dimensional magnetic modulations

Change of Hall conductance induced by band crossing

Hysteresis effect in the v = 1 quantum Hall system under periodic electrostatic modulation