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Register a new userSpectroscopic evidence for type II Weyl semimetal state in MoTe2
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In a type I Dirac or Weyl semimetal, the low energy states are squeezed to a single point in momentum space when the chemical potential Ef is tuned precisely to the Dirac/Weyl point. Recently, a type II Weyl semimetal was predicted to exist, where the Weyl states connect hole and electron bands, separated by an indirect gap. This leads to unusual energy states, where hole and electron pockets touch at the Weyl point. Here we present the discovery of a type II topological Weyl semimetal (TWS) state in pure MoTe2, where two sets of WPs (W2+-, W3+-) exist at the touching points of electron and hole pockets and are located at different binding energies above Ef. Using ARPES, modeling, DFT and calculations of Berry curvature, we identify the Weyl points and demonstrate that they are connected by different sets of Fermi arcs for each of the two surface terminations. We also find new surface track states that form closed loops and are unique to type II Weyl semimetals. This material provides an exciting, new platform to study the properties of Weyl fermions.
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Topological quantum materials, including topological insulators and superconductors, Dirac semimetals and Weyl semimetals, have attracted much attention recently for their unique electronic structure, spin texture and physical properties. Very lately, a new type of Weyl semimetals has been proposed where the Weyl Fermions emerge at the boundary between electron and hole pockets in a new phase of matter, which is distinct from the standard type I Weyl semimetals with a point-like Fermi surface. The Weyl cone in this type II semimetals is strongly tilted and the related Fermi surface undergos a Lifshitz transition, giving rise to a new kind of chiral anomaly and other new physics. MoTe2 is proposed to be a candidate of a type II Weyl semimetal; the sensitivity of its topological state to lattice constants and correlation also makes it an ideal platform to explore possible topological phase transitions. By performing laser-based angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) measurements with unprecedentedly high resolution, we have uncovered electronic evidence of type II semimetal state in MoTe2. We have established a full picture of the bulk electronic states and surface state for MoTe2 that are consistent with the band structure calculations. A single branch of surface state is identified that connects bulk hole pockets and bulk electron pockets. Detailed temperature-dependent ARPES measurements show high intensity spot-like features that is ~40 meV above the Fermi level and is close to the momentum space consistent with the theoretical expectation of the type II Weyl points. Our results constitute electronic evidence on the nature of the Weyl semimetal state that favors the presence of two sets of type II Weyl points in MoTe2.
Quantum topological materials, exemplified by topological insulators, three-dimensional Dirac semimetals and Weyl semimetals, have attracted much attention recently because of their unique electronic structure and physical properties. Very lately it is proposed that the three-dimensional Weyl semimetals can be further classified into two types. In the type I Weyl semimetals, a topologically protected linear crossing of two bands, i.e., a Weyl point, occurs at the Fermi level resulting in a point-like Fermi surface. In the type II Weyl semimetals, the Weyl point emerges from a contact of an electron and a hole pocket at the boundary resulting in a highly tilted Weyl cone. In type II Weyl semimetals, the Lorentz invariance is violated and a fundamentally new kind of Weyl Fermions is produced that leads to new physical properties. WTe2 is interesting because it exhibits anomalously large magnetoresistance. It has ignited a new excitement because it is proposed to be the first candidate of realizing type II Weyl Fermions. Here we report our angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) evidence on identifying the type II Weyl Fermion state in WTe2. By utilizing our latest generation laser-based ARPES system with superior energy and momentum resolutions, we have revealed a full picture on the electronic structure of WTe2. Clear surface state has been identified and its connection with the bulk electronic states in the momentum and energy space shows a good agreement with the calculated band structures with the type II Weyl states. Our results provide spectroscopic evidence on the observation of type II Weyl states in WTe2. It has laid a foundation for further exploration of novel phenomena and physical properties in the type II Weyl semimetals.
Weyl semimetal is a new quantum state of matter [1-12] hosting the condensed matter physics counterpart of relativisticWeyl fermion [13] originally introduced in high energy physics. The Weyl semimetal realized in the TaAs class features multiple Fermi arcs arising from topological surface states [10, 11, 14-16] and exhibits novel quantum phenomena, e.g., chiral anomaly induced negative mag-netoresistance [17-19] and possibly emergent supersymmetry [20]. Recently it was proposed theoretically that a new type (type-II) of Weyl fermion [21], which does not have counterpart in high energy physics due to the breaking of Lorentz invariance, can emerge as topologically-protected touching between electron and hole pockets. Here, we report direct spectroscopic evidence of topological Fermi arcs in the predicted type-II Weyl semimetal MoTe2 [22-24]. The topological surface states are confirmed by directly observing the surface states using bulk-and surface-sensitive angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and the quasi-particle interference (QPI) pattern between the two putative Fermi arcs in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Our work establishes MoTe2 as the first experimental realization of type-II Weyl semimetal, and opens up new opportunities for probing novel phenomena such as exotic magneto-transport [21] in type-II Weyl semimetals.
Distinct to type-I Weyl semimetals (WSMs) that host quasiparticles described by the Weyl equation, the energy dispersion of quasiparticles in type-II WSMs violates Lorentz invariance and the Weyl cones in the momentum space are tilted. Since it was proposed that type-II Weyl fermions could emerge from (W,Mo)Te2 and (W,Mo)P2 families of materials, a large numbers of experiments have been dedicated to unveil the possible manifestation of type-II WSM, e.g. the surface-state Fermi arcs. However, the interpretations of the experimental results are very controversial. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy supported by the first-principles calculations, we probe the tilted Weyl cone bands in the bulk electronic structure of WP2 directly, which are at the origin of Fermi arcs at the surfaces and transport properties related to the chiral anomaly in type-II WSMs. Our results ascertain that due to the spin-orbit coupling the Weyl nodes originate from the splitting of 4-fold degenerate band-crossing points with Chern numbers C = $pm$2 induced by the crystal symmetries of WP2, which is unique among all the discovered WSMs. Our finding also provides a guiding line to observe the chiral anomaly which could manifest in novel transport properties.
Weyl nodes and Fermi arcs in type-II Weyl semimetals (WSMs) have led to lots of exotic transport phenomena. Recently, Mo$_{0.25}$W$_{0.75}$Te$_{2}$ has been established as a type-II WSM with Weyl points located near Fermi level, which offers an opportunity to study its intriguing band structure by electrical transport measurements. Here, by selecting a special sample with the thickness gradient across two- (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) regime, we show strong evidences that Mo$_{0.25}$W$_{0.75}$Te$_{2}$ is a type-II Weyl semimetal by observing the following two dimensionality-dependent transport features: 1) A chiral-anomaly-induced anisotropic magneto-conductivity enhancement, proportional to the square of in-plane magnetic field (B$_{in}$$^{2}$); 2) An additional quantum oscillation with thickness-dependent phase shift. Our theoretical calculations show that the observed quantum oscillation originates from a Weyl-orbit-like scenario due to the unique band structure of Mo$_{0.25}$W$_{0.75}$Te$_{2}$. The in situ dimensionality-tuned transport experiment offers a new strategy to search for type-II WSMs.
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