Weyl semimetal phase in the non-centrosymmetric compound TaAs
Yang LX, Liu ZK, Sun Y, Peng H, Yang HF, Zhang T, Zhou B, Zhang Y, Guo YF, Rahn M, Prabhakaran D, Hussain Z, Mo SK, Felser C, Yan B, Chen YL (2015)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2015
Journal
Book Volume: 11
Pages Range: 728-732
Journal Issue: 9
DOI: 10.1038/nphys3425
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) topological Weyl semimetals (TWSs) represent a state of quantum matter with unusual electronic structures that resemble both a '3D graphene' and a topological insulator. Their electronic structure displays pairs of Weyl points (through which the electronic bands disperse linearly along all three momentum directions) connected by topological surface states, forming a unique ark-like Fermi surface (FS). Each Weyl point is chiral and contains half the degrees of freedom of a Dirac point, and can be viewed as a magnetic monopole in momentum space. By performing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on the non-centrosymmetric compound TaAs, here we report its complete band structure, including the unique Fermi-arc FS and linear bulk band dispersion across the Weyl points, in agreement with the theoretical calculations. This discovery not only confirms TaAs as a 3D TWS, but also provides an ideal platform for realizing exotic physical phenomena (for example, negative magnetoresistance, chiral magnetic effects and the quantum anomalous Hall effect) which may also lead to novel future applications.
Involved external institutions
Tsinghua University
China (CN)
Diamond Light Source
United Kingdom (GB)
Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe (MPI CPfS) / Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids
Germany (DE)
University of Oxford
United Kingdom (GB)
University of California, Berkeley
United States (USA) (US)
ShanghaiTech University / 上海科技大学
China (CN)
China (CN)
Diamond Light Source
United Kingdom (GB)
Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe (MPI CPfS) / Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids
Germany (DE)
University of Oxford
United Kingdom (GB)
University of California, Berkeley
United States (USA) (US)
ShanghaiTech University / 上海科技大学
China (CN)
How to cite
APA:
Yang, L.X., Liu, Z.K., Sun, Y., Peng, H., Yang, H.F., Zhang, T.,... Chen, Y.L. (2015). Weyl semimetal phase in the non-centrosymmetric compound TaAs. Nature Physics, 11(9), 728-732. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys3425
MLA:
Yang, L. X., et al. "Weyl semimetal phase in the non-centrosymmetric compound TaAs." Nature Physics 11.9 (2015): 728-732.
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