Weyl semimetals in optical lattices: moving and merging of Weyl points, and hidden symmetry at Weyl points
Abstract We propose to realize Weyl semimetals in a cubic optical lattice. We find that there exist three distinct Weyl semimetal phases in the cubic optical lattice for different parameter ranges. One of them has two pairs of Weyl points and the other two have one pair of Weyl points in the Brillou...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2016-09-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/srep33512 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850132712007925760 |
|---|---|
| author | Jing-Min Hou Wei Chen |
| author_facet | Jing-Min Hou Wei Chen |
| author_sort | Jing-Min Hou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We propose to realize Weyl semimetals in a cubic optical lattice. We find that there exist three distinct Weyl semimetal phases in the cubic optical lattice for different parameter ranges. One of them has two pairs of Weyl points and the other two have one pair of Weyl points in the Brillouin zone. For a slab geometry with (010) surfaces, the Fermi arcs connecting the projections of Weyl points with opposite topological charges on the surface Brillouin zone is presented. By adjusting the parameters, the Weyl points can move in the Brillouin zone. Interestingly, for two pairs of Weyl points, as one pair of them meet and annihilate, the originial two Fermi arcs coneect into one. As the remaining Weyl points annihilate further, the Fermi arc vanishes and a gap is opened. Furthermore, we find that there always exists a hidden symmetry at Weyl points, regardless of anywhere they located in the Brillouin zone. The hidden symmetry has an antiunitary operator with its square being −1. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-00ed3db2c3ff4410b478e1f5c2cc706c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-00ed3db2c3ff4410b478e1f5c2cc706c2025-08-20T02:32:08ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222016-09-01611910.1038/srep33512Weyl semimetals in optical lattices: moving and merging of Weyl points, and hidden symmetry at Weyl pointsJing-Min Hou0Wei Chen1Department of Physics, Southeast UniversityCollege of Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAbstract We propose to realize Weyl semimetals in a cubic optical lattice. We find that there exist three distinct Weyl semimetal phases in the cubic optical lattice for different parameter ranges. One of them has two pairs of Weyl points and the other two have one pair of Weyl points in the Brillouin zone. For a slab geometry with (010) surfaces, the Fermi arcs connecting the projections of Weyl points with opposite topological charges on the surface Brillouin zone is presented. By adjusting the parameters, the Weyl points can move in the Brillouin zone. Interestingly, for two pairs of Weyl points, as one pair of them meet and annihilate, the originial two Fermi arcs coneect into one. As the remaining Weyl points annihilate further, the Fermi arc vanishes and a gap is opened. Furthermore, we find that there always exists a hidden symmetry at Weyl points, regardless of anywhere they located in the Brillouin zone. The hidden symmetry has an antiunitary operator with its square being −1.https://doi.org/10.1038/srep33512 |
| spellingShingle | Jing-Min Hou Wei Chen Weyl semimetals in optical lattices: moving and merging of Weyl points, and hidden symmetry at Weyl points Scientific Reports |
| title | Weyl semimetals in optical lattices: moving and merging of Weyl points, and hidden symmetry at Weyl points |
| title_full | Weyl semimetals in optical lattices: moving and merging of Weyl points, and hidden symmetry at Weyl points |
| title_fullStr | Weyl semimetals in optical lattices: moving and merging of Weyl points, and hidden symmetry at Weyl points |
| title_full_unstemmed | Weyl semimetals in optical lattices: moving and merging of Weyl points, and hidden symmetry at Weyl points |
| title_short | Weyl semimetals in optical lattices: moving and merging of Weyl points, and hidden symmetry at Weyl points |
| title_sort | weyl semimetals in optical lattices moving and merging of weyl points and hidden symmetry at weyl points |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/srep33512 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jingminhou weylsemimetalsinopticallatticesmovingandmergingofweylpointsandhiddensymmetryatweylpoints AT weichen weylsemimetalsinopticallatticesmovingandmergingofweylpointsandhiddensymmetryatweylpoints |