Publication Date:
2016-10-20
Description:
Author(s): F. Lambert, A. P. Schnyder, R. Moessner, and I. Eremin Weyl semimetals make up a novel three-dimensional topological phase of matter. Among their most fascinating properties is the existence of a very peculiar type of surface bound state. Contrary to common topological materials, the surface Fermi surface of a Weyl system consists of disconnected arcs – the so-called Fermi arcs – instead of a closed surface. These Fermi arcs connect the projected position of band crossings in their bulk band structure. The Weyl phase typically arises from a symmetry-protected topological insulator upon spontaneously breaking one of the protecting symmetries. In the case of the pyrochlores, the magnetic momenta inside the constituting Ir tetrahedra break time-reversal symmetry, so the pyrochlores are considered magnetic Weyl semimetals. Here, the authors show theoretically that the nontrivial spin polarization of the surface Fermi arcs of a magnetic Weyl semimetal provide characteristic feature observable via spin-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). They analyze the Fourier transform (FT) of Friedel oscillations in the local density of states occurring due to scattering by localized magnetic and nonmagnetic impurities. They note that the FT features inherit traces of the disconnected nature of the Fermi surface and the spin rotation happening on the Fermi arcs. [Phys. Rev. B 94, 165146] Published Wed Oct 19, 2016
Keywords:
Electronic structure and strongly correlated systems
Print ISSN:
1098-0121
Electronic ISSN:
1095-3795
Topics:
Physics
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