We consider a natural generalization of the lattice model for a periodic array of two layers, A and B, of spinless electrons proposed by Fu [Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 106802 (2011)] as a prototype for a crystalline insulator. This model has time-reversal
symmetry and broken inversion symmetry. We show that when the intralayer next-nearest-neighbor hoppings ta2, a = A, B vanish, this model supports a Weyl semimetal phase for a wide range of the remaining model parameters. When the effect of ta2 is considered, topological crystalline insulating phases take place within the Weyl semimetal one. By mapping to an effective Weyl Hamiltonian we derive some analytical results for the phase diagram as well as for the structure of the nodes in the spectrum of the Weyl semimetal.
Anisotropic single-molecule magnets may be thought of as molecular switches, with possible applications to molecular spintronics. In this paper, we consider current-induced switching in single-molecule junctions containing an anisotropic magnetic mol
ecule. We assume that the carriers interact with the magnetic molecule through the exchange interaction and focus on the regime of high currents in which the molecular spin dynamics is slow compared to the time which the electrons spend on the molecule. In this limit, the molecular spin obeys a non-equilibrium Langevin equation which takes the form of a generalized Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation and which we derive microscopically by means of a non-equilibrium Born-Oppenheimer approximation. We exploit this Langevin equation to identify the relevant switching mechanisms and to derive the current-induced switching rates. As a byproduct, we also derive S-matrix expressions for the various torques entering into the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation which generalize previous expressions in the literature to non-equilibrium situations.
