A charge-density-wave topological semimetal

Topological physics and strong electron–electron correlations in quantum materials are typically studied independently. However, there have been rapid recent developments in quantum materials in which topological phase transitions emerge when the single-particle band structure is modified by strong...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature physics 2021-03, Vol.17 (3), p.381-387
Main Authors: Shi, Wujun, Wieder, Benjamin J., Meyerheim, Holger L., Sun, Yan, Zhang, Yang, Li, Yiwei, Shen, Lei, Qi, Yanpeng, Yang, Lexian, Jena, Jagannath, Werner, Peter, Koepernik, Klaus, Parkin, Stuart, Chen, Yulin, Felser, Claudia, Bernevig, B. Andrei, Wang, Zhijun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/301/119/2792
639/301/119/995
639/766/119/2792
639/766/119/995
Atomic
Bulk density
Charge density waves
Classical and Continuum Physics
Complex Systems
Condensed Matter Physics
Electrodynamics
Electrons
Mathematical and Computational Physics
Molecular
Optical and Plasma Physics
Phase transitions
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Room temperature
Solid state
Strong interactions (field theory)
Theoretical
Topology
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Summary:Topological physics and strong electron–electron correlations in quantum materials are typically studied independently. However, there have been rapid recent developments in quantum materials in which topological phase transitions emerge when the single-particle band structure is modified by strong interactions. Here we demonstrate that the room-temperature phase of (TaSe 4 ) 2 I is a Weyl semimetal with 24 pairs of Weyl nodes. Owing to its quasi-one-dimensional structure, (TaSe 4 ) 2 I also hosts an established charge-density wave instability just below room temperature. We show that the charge-density wave in (TaSe 4 ) 2 I couples the bulk Weyl points and opens a bandgap. The correlation-driven topological phase transition in (TaSe 4 ) 2 I provides a route towards observing condensed-matter realizations of axion electrodynamics in the gapped regime, topological chiral response effects in the semimetallic phase, and represents an avenue for exploring the interplay of correlations and topology in a solid-state material. Strong electron–electron interactions create a charge-density wave that modifies the topological state of the Weyl semimetal (TaSe 4 ) 2 I. This implies the possibility of experimentally simulating axion electrodynamics in a solid-state material.
ISSN:1745-2473
1745-2481
DOI:10.1038/s41567-020-01104-z