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Register a new userAnomalous symmetry breaking in Weyl semimetal CeAlGe
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Added by
Halyna Hodovanets Dr.
Publication date
2021
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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CeAlGe, a proposed type-II Weyl semimetal, orders antiferromagnetically below 5 K. Both a spin-flop and a spin-flip transitions to less than 1 $mu_B$/Ce are observed at 2 K below 30 kOe in the $M(H)$ ($bf{H}|bf{a}$ and $bf{b}$) and 4.3 kOe ($bf{H}|langle110rangle$) data, respectively, indicating a four-fold symmetry of the $M(H)$ along the principal directions in the tetragonal $it{ab}$-plane with $langle110rangle$ set of easy directions. However, anomalously robust and complex two-fold symmetry is observed in the angular dependence of resistivity and magnetic torque data in the magnetically ordered state once the field is swept in the $it{ab}$-plane. This two-fold symmetry is independent of temperature- and field-hystereses and suggests a magnetic phase transition that separates two different magnetic structures in the $it{ab}$-plane. The boundary of this magnetic phase transition can be tuned by different growth conditions.
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We report the discovery of topological magnetism in the candidate magnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlGe. Using neutron scattering we find this system to host several incommensurate, square-coordinated multi-$vec{k}$ magnetic phases below $T_{rm{N}}$. The topological properties of a phase stable at intermediate magnetic fields parallel to the $c$-axis are suggested by observation of a topological Hall effect. Our findings highlight CeAlGe as an exceptional system for exploiting the interplay between the nontrivial topologies of the magnetization in real space and Weyl nodes in momentum space.
Symmetry plays a central role in conventional and topological phases of matter, making the ability to optically drive symmetry change a critical step in developing future technologies that rely on such control. Topological materials, like the newly discovered topological semimetals, are particularly sensitive to a breaking or restoring of time-reversal and crystalline symmetries, which affect both bulk and surface electronic states. While previous studies have focused on controlling symmetry via coupling to the crystal lattice, we demonstrate here an all-electronic mechanism based on photocurrent generation. Using second-harmonic generation spectroscopy as a sensitive probe of symmetry change, we observe an ultrafast breaking of time-reversal and spatial symmetries following femtosecond optical excitation in the prototypical type-I Weyl semimetal TaAs. Our results show that optically driven photocurrents can be tailored to explicitly break electronic symmetry in a generic fashion, opening up the possibility of driving phase transitions between symmetry-protected states on ultrafast time scales.
We present details of materials synthesis, crystal structure, and anisotropic magnetic properties of single crystals of CeAlGe, a proposed type-II Weyl semimetal. Single-crystal x-ray diffraction confirms that CeAlGe forms in noncentrosymmetric I4$_1$md space group, in line with predictions of non-trivial topology. Magnetization, specific heat and electrical transport measurements were used to confirm antiferromagnetic order below 5 K, with an estimated magnon excitation gap of $Delta$ = 9.11 K from heat capacity and hole-like carrier density of 1.44 $times$ 10$^{20}$ cm$^{-3}$ from Hall effect measurements. The easy magnetic axis is along the [100] crystallographic direction, indicating that the moment lies in the tetragonal $it{ab}$-plane below 7 K. A spin-flop transition to less than 1 $mu_B$/Ce is observed to occur below 30 kOe at 1.8 K in the $M(H)$ ($bf{H}|bf{a}$) data. Small magnetic fields of 3 kOe and 30 kOe are sufficient to suppress magnetic order when applied along the $it{a}$- and $it{c}$-axes, respectively, resulting in a complex $it{T-H}$ phase diagram for $bf{H}|bf{a}$ and a simpler one for $bf{H}|bf{c}$.
In magnetic Weyl semimetals, where magnetism breaks time-reversal symmetry, large magnetically sensitive anomalous transport responses are anticipated that could be useful for topological spintronics. The identification of new magnetic Weyl semimetals is therefore in high demand, particularly since in these systems Weyl node configurations may be easily modified using magnetic fields. Here we explore experimentally the magnetic semimetal PrAlGe, and unveil a direct correspondence between easy-axis Pr ferromagnetism and anomalous Hall and Nernst effects. With sizes of both the anomalous Hall conductivity and Nernst effect in good quantitative agreement with first principles calculations, we identify PrAlGe as a system where magnetic fields can connect directly to Weyl nodes via the Pr magnetization. Furthermore, we find the predominantly easy-axis ferromagnetic ground state co-exists with a low density of nanoscale textured magnetic domain walls. We describe how such nanoscale magnetic textures could serve as a local platform for tunable axial gauge fields of Weyl fermions.
The Weyl semimetal MoTe$_2$ offers a rare opportunity to study the interplay between Weyl physics and superconductivity. Recent studies have found that Se substitution can boost the superconductivity up to 1.5K, but suppress the Td structure phase that is essential for the emergence of Weyl state. A microscopic understanding of possible coexistence of enhanced superconductivity and the Td phase has not been established so far. Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to study a optimally doped new superconductor MoTe$_{1.85}$Se$_{0.15}$ with bulk Tc ~ 1.5K. By means of quasiparticle interference imaging, we identify the existence of low temperature Td phase with broken inversion symmetry where superconductivity globally coexists. Consistently, we find that the superconducting coherence length, extracted from both the upper critical field and the decay of density of states near a vortex, is much larger than the characteristic length scale of existing dopant derived chemical disorder. Our findings of robust superconductivity arising from a Weyl semimetal normal phase in MoTe$_{1.85}$Se$_{0.15}$, makes it a promising candidate for realizing topological superconductivity.
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