Publication Date:
2017-06-06
Description:
Author(s): R. D. Y. Hills, A. Kusmartseva, and F. V. Kusmartsev Weyl semimetals are materials with topological defects in their band structure. They arise through mechanisms similar to vortex–anti-vortex pair creation, forming a hedgehog-structure in momentum space that is described by a four-dimensional energy-momentum Dirac cone. The authors show that, under pressure, the Dirac cone can be tilted in the same way as the relativistic light cone is tilted on approach to the black hole horizon. Following through with this analogy, at the defined horizon, time and space reversal may trigger unconventional phenomena, including the possibility for time travel. For Weyl semimetals under pressure, this means the creation of a new topological hyperbolic phase, which is anisotropic and highly active to electromagnetic radiation. Electrons may propagate across a multilayer structure made of Weyl semimetals analogous to light. Such a multilayer sandwich may have a negative refractive index for electron waves and, therefore, it may act as an electron-focusing Veselago lens. In this case, it would become possible to confine electrons to an extremely narrow beam. In the context of applications, this effect could be used to improve the resolution of the scanning electron microscopy technique, by constructing tunneling tips made up of Weyl semimetal multilayers. [Phys. Rev. B 95, 214103] Published Mon Jun 05, 2017
Keywords:
Structure, structural phase transitions, mechanical properties, defects
Print ISSN:
1098-0121
Electronic ISSN:
1095-3795
Topics:
Physics
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