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Register a new userOptical Control of Chiral Charge Pumping in a Topological Weyl Semimetal
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Solids with topologically robust electronic states exhibit unusual electronic and optical transport properties that do not exist in other materials. A particularly interesting example is chiral charge pumping, the so-called chiral anomaly, in recently discovered topological Weyl semimetals, where simultaneous application of parallel DC electric and magnetic fields creates an imbalance in the number of carriers of opposite topological charge (chirality). Here, using time-resolved terahertz measurements on the Weyl semimetal TaAs in a magnetic field, we optically interrogate the chiral anomaly by dynamically pumping the chiral charges and monitoring their subsequent relaxation. Theory based on Boltzmann transport shows that the observed effects originate from an optical nonlinearity in the chiral charge pumping process. Our measurements reveal that the chiral population relaxation time is much greater than 1 ns. The observation of terahertz-controlled chiral carriers with long coherence times and topological protection suggests the application of Weyl semimetals for quantum optoelectronic technology.
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Weyl semimetals are crystals in which electron bands cross at isolated points in momentum space. Associated with each crossing point (or Weyl node) is an integer topological invariant known as the Berry monopole charge. The discovery of new classes of Weyl materials is driving the search for novel properties that derive directly from the Berry charge. The circular photogalvanic effect (CPGE), whereby circular polarized light generates a current whose direction depends on the helicity of the absorbed photons, is a striking example of a macroscopic property that emerges from Weyl topology. Recently, it was predicted that the rate of current generation associated with optical transitions near a Weyl node is proportional to its monopole charge and independent of material-specific parameters. In Weyl semimetals that retain mirror symmetry this universal photogalvanic current is strongly suppressed by opposing contributions from energy equivalent nodes of opposite charge. However, when all mirror symmetries are broken, as in chiral Weyl systems, nodes with opposite topological charge are no longer degenerate, opening a window of photon energies where the topological CPGE can emerge. In this work we test this theory through measurement of the photon-energy dependence of the CPGE in the chiral Weyl semimetal RhSi. The spectrum is fully consistent with a topological CPGE, as it reveals a response in a low-energy window that closes at 0.65 eV, in quantitative agreement with the theoretically-derived bandstucture.
Recently, Weyl semimetals have been experimentally discovered in both inversion-symmetry-breaking and time-reversal-symmetry-breaking crystals. The non-trivial topology in Weyl semimetals can manifest itself with exotic phenomena which have been extensively investigated by photoemission and transport measurements. Despite the numerous experimental efforts on Fermi arcs and chiral anomaly, the existence of unconventional zeroth Landau levels, as a unique hallmark of Weyl fermions which is highly related to chiral anomaly, remains elusive owing to the stringent experimental requirements. Here, we report the magneto-optical study of Landau quantization in Weyl semimetal NbAs. High magnetic fields drive the system towards the quantum limit which leads to the observation of zeroth chiral Landau levels in two inequivalent Weyl nodes. As compared to other Landau levels, the zeroth chiral Landau level exhibits a distinct linear dispersion in z momentum direction and allows the optical transitions without the limitation of zero z momentum or square root of magnetic field evolution. The magnetic field dependence of the zeroth Landau levels further verifies the predicted particle-hole asymmetry of the Weyl cones. Meanwhile, the optical transitions from the normal Landau levels exhibit the coexistence of multiple carriers including an unexpected massive Dirac fermion, pointing to a more complex topological nature in inversion-symmetry-breaking Weyl semimetals. Our results provide insights into the Landau quantization of Weyl fermions and demonstrate an effective tool for studying complex topological systems.
The electron-phonon interaction (EPI) is instrumental in a wide variety of phenomena in solid-state physics, such as electrical resistivity in metals, carrier mobility, optical transition and polaron effects in semiconductors, lifetime of hot carriers, transition temperature in BCS superconductors, and even spin relaxation in diamond nitrogen-vacancy centers for quantum information processing. However, due to the weak EPI strength, most phenomena have focused on electronic properties rather than on phonon properties. One prominent exception is the Kohn anomaly, where phonon softening can emerge when the phonon wavevector nests the Fermi surface of metals. Here we report a new class of Kohn anomaly in a topological Weyl semimetal (WSM), predicted by field-theoretical calculations, and experimentally observed through inelastic x-ray and neutron scattering on WSM tantalum phosphide (TaP). Compared to the conventional Kohn anomaly, the Fermi surface in a WSM exhibits multiple topological singularities of Weyl nodes, leading to a distinct nesting condition with chiral selection, a power-law divergence, and non-negligible dynamical effects. Our work brings the concept of Kohn anomaly into WSMs and sheds light on elucidating the EPI mechanism in emergent topological materials.
We demonstrate that a sizable chiral charge pumping can be achieved at room temperature in graphene/Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) bilayer systems. The effect, which cannot be attributed to the ordinary spin pumping, reveals itself in the creation of a dc electric field/voltage in graphene as a response to the dynamic magnetic excitations (spin waves) in an adjacent out-of-plane magnetized YIG film. We show that the induced voltage changes its sign when the orientation of the static magnetization is reversed, clearly indicating the broken spatial inversion symmetry in the studied system. The strength of effect shows a non-monotonous dependence on the spin-wave frequency, in agreement with the proposed theoretical model.
Recently discussed topological materials Weyl-semimetals (WSs) combine both: high electron mobility comparable with graphene and unique topological protection of Dirac points. We present novel results related to electromagnetic field propagation through WSs. It is predicted that transmission of the normally incident polarized electromagnetic wave (EMW) through the WS strongly depends on the orientation of polarization with respect to a gyration vector $mathbf{g}$. The latter is related to the vector-parameter $mathbf{b}$, which represents the separation between the Weyl nodes of opposite chirality in the first Brillouin zone. By changing the polarization of the incident EMW with respect to the gyration vector $mathbf{g}$ the system undergoes the transition from the isotropic dielectric to the medium with Kerr- or Faraday-like rotation of polarization and finally to the system with chiral selective electromagnetic field. It is shown that WSs can be applied as the polarization filters.
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