Observation of Weyl nodes in TaAs
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reported the direct observation in TaAs of the long-sought-after Weyl nodes by performing bulk-sensitive soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements.
Abstract: Experiments show that TaAs is a three-dimensional topological Weyl semimetal. In 1929, H. Weyl proposed that the massless solution of the Dirac equation represents a pair of a new type of particles, the so-called Weyl fermions1. However, their existence in particle physics remains elusive after more than eight decades. Recently, significant advances in both topological insulators and topological semimetals have provided an alternative way to realize Weyl fermions in condensed matter, as an emergent phenomenon: when two non-degenerate bands in the three-dimensional momentum space cross in the vicinity of the Fermi energy (called Weyl nodes), the low-energy excitations behave exactly as Weyl fermions. Here we report the direct observation in TaAs of the long-sought-after Weyl nodes by performing bulk-sensitive soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements. The projected locations at the nodes on the (001) surface match well to the Fermi arcs, providing undisputable experimental evidence for the existence of Weyl fermionic quasiparticles in TaAs.
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TL;DR: Weyl and Dirac semimetals as discussed by the authors are three-dimensional phases of matter with gapless electronic excitations that are protected by topology and symmetry, and they have generated much recent interest.
Abstract: 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.
3,407 citations
Cites background from "Observation of Weyl nodes in TaAs"
...…as envisaged in (Halász and Balents, 2012; Murakami, 2007) reached fruition with the prediction and discovery of TaAs as a WSM (Huang et al., 2015a; Lv et al., 2015b,c; Weng et al., 2015a; Xu et al., 2015b) (and other members in this material class (Xu et al., 2016b, 2015a,c)), and the…...
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...If an odd number of surface states are encountered, and no bulk states, then one is required to have a nontrivial Chern number on the bulk Fermi surface enclosed by the curve (Belopolski et al., 2016c; Lv et al., 2015b) and hence we can define this as a “Weyl metal”....
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TL;DR: In this article, a review of the classification schemes of both fully gapped and gapless topological materials is presented, and a pedagogical introduction to the field of topological band theory is given.
Abstract: In recent years an increasing amount of attention has been devoted to quantum materials with topological characteristics that are robust against disorder and other perturbations. In this context it was discovered that topological materials can be classified with respect to their dimension and symmetry properties. This review provides an overview of the classification schemes of both fully gapped and gapless topological materials and gives a pedagogical introduction into the field of topological band theory.
2,123 citations
Cites background from "Observation of Weyl nodes in TaAs"
...Recently, it has been experimentally shown that the Dirac semimetal is realized in Na3Bi (Liu et al., 2014e), while the Weyl semimetal is realized in TaAs (Lv et al., 2015; Xu et al., 2015c)....
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TL;DR: Weyl fermions possess exotic properties and can act like magnetic monopoles as discussed by the authors, and TaAs is a Weyl semimetal, demonstrating for the first time that Weyl semi-metals can be identified experimentally.
Abstract: Weyl fermions possess exotic properties and can act like magnetic monopoles. Researchers show that TaAs is a Weyl semimetal, demonstrating for the first time that Weyl semimetals can be identified experimentally.
1,615 citations
TL;DR: The results show that in the TaAs-type materials the WeylSemimetal state does not depend on fine-tuning of chemical composition or magnetic order, which opens the door for the experimental realization of Weyl semimetals and Fermi arc surface states in real materials.
Abstract: Weyl fermions are massless chiral fermions that play an important role in quantum field theory but have never been observed as fundamental particles. A Weyl semimetal is an unusual crystal that hosts Weyl fermions as quasiparticle excitations and features Fermi arcs on its surface. Such a semimetal not only provides a condensed matter realization of the anomalies in quantum field theories but also demonstrates the topological classification beyond the gapped topological insulators. Here, we identify a topological Weyl semimetal state in the transition metal monopnictide materials class. Our first-principles calculations on TaAs reveal its bulk Weyl fermion cones and surface Fermi arcs. Our results show that in the TaAs-type materials the Weyl semimetal state does not depend on fine-tuning of chemical composition or magnetic order, which opens the door for the experimental realization of Weyl semimetals and Fermi arc surface states in real materials. Proposals for the realization of Weyl semimetals, topologically non-trivial materials which host Weyl fermion quasiparticles, have faced demanding experimental requirements. Here, the authors predict such a state in stoichiometric TaAs, arising due to the breaking of inversion symmetry.
1,375 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review the basic concepts and compare these topological states of matter from the materials perspective with a special focus on Weyl semimetals, and introduce the signatures of Weyl points in a pedagogical way, from Fermi arcs to the chiral magnetotransport properties.
Abstract: Topological insulators and topological semimetals are both new classes of quantum materials, which are characterized by surface states induced by the topology of the bulk band structure. Topological Dirac or Weyl semimetals show linear dispersion around nodes, termed the Dirac or Weyl points, as the three-dimensional analog of graphene. We review the basic concepts and compare these topological states of matter from the materials perspective with a special focus on Weyl semimetals. The TaAs family is the ideal materials class to introduce the signatures of Weyl points in a pedagogical way, from Fermi arcs to the chiral magnetotransport properties, followed by hunting for the type-II Weyl semimetals in WTe2, MoTe2, and related compounds. Many materials are members of big families, and topological properties can be tuned. As one example, we introduce the multifunctional topological materials, Heusler compounds, in which both topological insulators and magnetic Weyl semimetals can be found. Instead of a comp...
1,194 citations
References
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TL;DR: A simple derivation of a simple GGA is presented, in which all parameters (other than those in LSD) are fundamental constants, and only general features of the detailed construction underlying the Perdew-Wang 1991 (PW91) GGA are invoked.
Abstract: Generalized gradient approximations (GGA’s) for the exchange-correlation energy improve upon the local spin density (LSD) description of atoms, molecules, and solids. We present a simple derivation of a simple GGA, in which all parameters (other than those in LSD) are fundamental constants. Only general features of the detailed construction underlying the Perdew-Wang 1991 (PW91) GGA are invoked. Improvements over PW91 include an accurate description of the linear response of the uniform electron gas, correct behavior under uniform scaling, and a smoother potential. [S0031-9007(96)01479-2] PACS numbers: 71.15.Mb, 71.45.Gm Kohn-Sham density functional theory [1,2] is widely used for self-consistent-field electronic structure calculations of the ground-state properties of atoms, molecules, and solids. In this theory, only the exchange-correlation energy EXC › EX 1 EC as a functional of the electron spin densities n"srd and n#srd must be approximated. The most popular functionals have a form appropriate for slowly varying densities: the local spin density (LSD) approximation Z d 3 rn e unif
146,533 citations
Additional excerpts
...10 × 10 k-grid) describe the electronic structure accurately. The exchange-correlation functional within generalized gradient approximation parameterized by Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof has been used [32]. The optimized lattice constants a = b = 3.4824 Å, c = 11.8038 Å and atomic sites are in agreement with the experimental values. Acknowledgements We acknowledge the help in plotting Fig. 1 from Hu Mi...
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TL;DR: In this paper, the topological semimetal, a three-dimensional phase of a magnetic solid, is described and it may be realized in a class of pyrochlore iridates based on calculations using the LDA+U$ method.
Abstract: We investigate novel phases that emerge from the interplay of electron correlations and strong spin-orbit interactions. We focus on describing the topological semimetal, a three-dimensional phase of a magnetic solid, and argue that it may be realized in a class of pyrochlore iridates (such as ${\mathrm{Y}}_{2}$Ir${}_{2}$O${}_{7}$) based on calculations using the $\text{LDA}+U$ method. This state is a three-dimensional analog of graphene with linearly dispersing excitations and provides a condensed-matter realization of Weyl fermions that obeys a two-component Dirac equation. It also exhibits remarkable topological properties manifested by surface states in the form of Fermi arcs, which are impossible to realize in purely two-dimensional band structures. For intermediate correlation strengths, we find this to be the ground state of the pyrochlore iridates, coexisting with noncollinear magnetic order. A narrow window of magnetic ``axion'' insulator may also be present. An applied magnetic field is found to induce a metallic ground state.
3,865 citations
"Observation of Weyl nodes in TaAs" refers background in this paper
...protection of crystal symmetry. An isolated Weyl node is a sink or source of gauge field of Berry curvature, like a monopole in momentum space, and the chirality corresponds to its topological charge [5, 6, 7]. Weyl nodes appear in pairs of opposite chirality in a real material due to the “No-go theorem” [8, 9]. To obtain isolated Weyl nodes, the spin degeneracy of the electronic bands has to be removed by...
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TL;DR: The experimental discovery of a Weyl semimetal, tantalum arsenide (TaAs), using photoemission spectroscopy, which finds that Fermi arcs terminate on the Weyl fermion nodes, consistent with their topological character.
2,789 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the electronic structure of pyrochlore iridates was investigated using density functional theory, LDA+U method, and effective low energy models, and a remarkably rich phase diagram emerges on tuning the correlation strength U.
Abstract: In 5d transition metal oxides such as the iridates, novel properties arise from the interplay of electron correlations and spin-orbit interactions. We investigate the electronic structure of the pyrochlore iridates, (such as Y$_{2}$Ir$_{2}$O$_{7}$) using density functional theory, LDA+U method, and effective low energy models. A remarkably rich phase diagram emerges on tuning the correlation strength U. The Ir magnetic moment are always found to be non-collinearly ordered. However, the ground state changes from a magnetic metal at weak U, to a Mott insulator at large U. Most interestingly, the intermediate U regime is found to be a Dirac semi-metal, with vanishing density of states at the Fermi energy. It also exhibits topological properties - manifested by special surface states in the form of Fermi arcs, that connect the bulk Dirac points. This Dirac phase, a three dimensional analog of graphene, is proposed as the ground state of Y$_{2}$Ir$_{2}$O$_{7}$ and related compounds. A narrow window of magnetic `axion' insulator, with axion parameter $\theta=\pi$, may also be present at intermediate U. An applied magnetic field induces ferromagnetic order and a metallic ground state.
2,576 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the experimental discovery of a Weyl semimetal, tantalum arsenide (TaAs), was reported, which is a new state of matter that hosts Weyl fermions as emergent quasiparticles and admits a topological classification that protects Fermi arcs on the boundary of a bulk sample.
Abstract: A Weyl semimetal is a new state of matter that hosts Weyl fermions as emergent quasiparticles and admits a topological classification that protects Fermi arc surface states on the boundary of a bulk sample. This unusual electronic structure has deep analogies with particle physics and leads to unique topological properties. We report the experimental discovery of a Weyl semimetal, tantalum arsenide (TaAs). Using photoemission spectroscopy, we directly observe Fermi arcs on the surface, as well as the Weyl fermion cones and Weyl nodes in the bulk of TaAs single crystals. We find that Fermi arcs terminate on the Weyl fermion nodes, consistent with their topological character. Our work opens the field for the experimental study of Weyl fermions in physics and materials science.
2,272 citations