Work

Topological Tuning in Three-Dimensional Dirac Semimetals

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: We study with first-principles methods the interplay between bulk and surface Dirac fermions in three dimensional Dirac semimetals. By combining density functional theory with the coherent potential approximation, we reveal a topological phase transition in Na_{3}Bi_{1-x}Sb_{x} and Cd_{3}[As_{1-x}P_{x}]_{2} alloys, where the material goes from a Dirac semimetal to a trivial insulator upon changing Sb or P concentrations. Tuning the composition allows us to engineer the position of the bulk Dirac points in reciprocal space. Interestingly, the phase transition coincides with the reversal of the band ordering between the conduction and valence bands.

Source: Physical Review Letters

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.113.256403

Authors: Awadhesh Narayan, Domenico Di Sante, Silvia Picozzi, Stefano Sanvito

Institutions: Trinity College Dublin, University of L'Aquila, National Research Council, Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research

Language: English

Topic: Topological Materials and Phenomena

Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Irish Research Council, Fondazione Cariplo, Irish Centre for High-End Computing

Award: Magnetic information storage in antiferromagnet spintronic devices - MAGISTER