Orthorhombic TaAs: A New Topological Phase of the Archetypical Weyl Semimetal

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Orthorhombic TaAs: A New Topological Phase of the Archetypical Weyl Semimetal
Authors: Z. Ogorzałek, C.-C. Lee, J. Z. Domagala, W. Zajkowska-Pietrzak, S. Kret, R. Bożek, W. Pacuski, I. Lutsyk, W. Ryś, P. J. Kowalczyk, M. Tokarczyk, M. Polakowski, D. Wasik, J. Sadowski, B.-H. Huang, H. Lin, M. Gryglas-Borysiewicz
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: Biochemistry, Genetics, Cancer, Computational Biology, Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified, Physical Sciences not elsewhere classified, weyl semimetal layers, ray diffraction pattern, molecular beam epitaxy, archetypical weyl semimetal, 20 weyl nodes, topologically nontrivial phase, topological weyl semimetal, new way toward, new atom arrangement, known tetragonal phase, new topological phase, new orthorhombic phase, tetragonal phase, new phase, topological origin, orthorhombic taas, ∼ 0, weak antilocalization, valence band, taas identified, strain adjustment, slightly higher, low temperatures, formation energy
Description: We report on a new, topologically nontrivial phase of TaAs identified in thin TaAs layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Structural investigations clearly show a new atom arrangement, confirmed by the presence of 104 reflections in the X-ray diffraction pattern, forbidden for the well-known tetragonal phase. Density functional theory confirms the presence of a new orthorhombic phase and reveals that its formation energy is slightly higher (by ∼0.6 meV per atom) than for the tetragonal phase. The orthorhombic TaAs is a topological Weyl semimetal with 20 Weyl nodes. Weak antilocalization of a topological origin is observed at low temperatures. With the Fermi energy relatively deep in the valence band, no other signatures of the chiral properties are resolved. The demonstration of the new phase, combined with the molecular beam epitaxy capabilities of doping and strain adjustment, opens a new way toward the fine-tuning of Weyl semimetal layers and heterostructures.
Document Type: article in journal/newspaper
Language: unknown
Relation: https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Orthorhombic_TaAs_A_New_Topological_Phase_of_the_Archetypical_Weyl_Semimetal/29980003
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5c04474.s001
Availability: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c04474.s001
https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Orthorhombic_TaAs_A_New_Topological_Phase_of_the_Archetypical_Weyl_Semimetal/29980003
Rights: CC BY-NC 4.0
Accession Number: edsbas.D8325D2F
Database: BASE
Description
Abstract:We report on a new, topologically nontrivial phase of TaAs identified in thin TaAs layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Structural investigations clearly show a new atom arrangement, confirmed by the presence of 104 reflections in the X-ray diffraction pattern, forbidden for the well-known tetragonal phase. Density functional theory confirms the presence of a new orthorhombic phase and reveals that its formation energy is slightly higher (by ∼0.6 meV per atom) than for the tetragonal phase. The orthorhombic TaAs is a topological Weyl semimetal with 20 Weyl nodes. Weak antilocalization of a topological origin is observed at low temperatures. With the Fermi energy relatively deep in the valence band, no other signatures of the chiral properties are resolved. The demonstration of the new phase, combined with the molecular beam epitaxy capabilities of doping and strain adjustment, opens a new way toward the fine-tuning of Weyl semimetal layers and heterostructures.
DOI:10.1021/acsami.5c04474.s001