Thermodynamic Signatures of Weyl Fermions in NbP

Modic, K. A.; Meng, Tobias; Ronning, Filip; Bauer, Eric D.; Moll, Philip W.; Ramshaw, B. J.

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-38161-7

Thermodynamic Signatures of Weyl Fermions in NbP

Journal Article · Wed Feb 13 23:00:00 EST 2019 · Scientific Reports

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-38161-7· OSTI ID:1768515

^[1]; Meng, Tobias ^[2]; ^[3]; ^[3]; ^[1]; ^[4]

Max-Planck-Inst. for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden (Germany)
Technische Univ., Dresden (Germany)
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)

We present a high magnetic field study of NbP—a member of the monopnictide Weyl semimetal (WSM) family. While the monoarsenides (NbAs and TaAs) have topologically distinct left and right-handed Weyl fermi surfaces, NbP is argued to be “topologically trivial” due to the fact that all pairs of Weyl nodes are encompassed by a single Fermi surface. We use torque magnetometry to measure the magnetic response of NbP up to 60 tesla and uncover a Berry paramagnetic response, characteristic of the topological Weyl nodes, across the entire field range. At the quantum limit B* (≈32 T), τ/B experiences a change in slope when the chemical potential enters the last Landau level. Our calculations confirm that this magnetic response arises from band topology of the Weyl pocket, even though the Fermi surface encompasses both Weyl nodes at zero magnetic field. We also find that the magnetic field pulls the chemical potential to the chiral n = 0 Landau level in the quantum limit, providing a disorder-free way of accessing chiral Weyl fermions in systems that are “not quite” WSMs in zero magnetic field.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; National Science Foundation (NSF); German Research Foundation (DFG); European Research Council (ERC)

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001

OSTI ID:: 1768515

Report Number(s):: LA-UR--18-29179

Journal Information:: Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 9; ISSN 2045-2322

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
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electronic properties and materials
material science
quantum limit
topological matter
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