Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Despite the fundamental nature of the edge state in topological physics, direct measurement of electronic and optical properties of the Fermi arcs of topological semimetals has posed a significant experimental challenge, as their response is often overwhelmed by the metallic bulk. However, laser-driven currents carried by surface and bulk states can propagate in different directions in nonsymmorphic crystals, allowing for the two components to be easily separated. Motivated by a recent theoretical prediction G. Chang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 166404 (2020)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.124.166404, we have measured the linear and circular photogalvanic effect currents deriving from the Fermi arcs of the nonsymmorphic, chiral Weyl semimetal RhSi over the 0.45-1.1 eV incident photon energy range. Our data are in good agreement with the predicted spectral shape of the circular photogalvanic effect as a function of photon energy, although the direction of the surface photocurrent departed from the theoretical expectation over the energy range studied. Surface currents arising from the linear photogalvanic effect were observed as well, with the unexpected result that only two of the six allowed tensor element were required to describe the measurements, suggesting an approximate emergent mirror symmetry inconsistent with the space group of the crystal.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: Dylan Rees, Baozhu Lu, Yue Sun, Kaustuv Manna, Rüstem Özgür, Sujan Subedi, Horst Borrmann, Claudia Felser, J. Orenstein, Darius H. Torchinsky
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Temple University, US-UK Fulbright Commission, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Office of Science, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Division of Materials Research, Basic Energy Sciences, H2020 European Research Council, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering
Awards: G1286236842, G1286251239, G1490582424, G1863003419, G2244669453, G2292069225, Antiferromagntic spintronics, G2618837358, G30714459, G3083819904, G3181011125, G3685081974, G3967535168, G4099714421, G419881185, G42916606, G434337789, G4501827968, G498139845, G5174849338, G526230902, CAREER:The Nonlinear Electrodynamics of Weyl Semimetals, G650090426, G6652958823, G6908742299, Skyrmion-Topological insulator and Weyl semimetal technology, Topological Materials: New Fermions, Realization of Single Crystals and their Physical Properties, Joseph Orenstein Experimental Investigator in Quantum Materials Award, G8326473154, G8443214075, G936330020, G969889393
OpenAlex ID: W3137562415