The spectral localizer consists of placing the Hamiltonian in a Dirac trap. For topological insulators its spectral asymmetry is equal to the topological invariants, providing a highly efficient tool for numerical computation. Here this technique is extended to disordered semimetals and allows to access the number of Dirac or Weyl points as well as weak invariants. These latter invariants imply the existence of surface states.
Explicit equivalence between the spectral localizer and local Chern and winding markers
KTH Royal Institute of Technology（皇家理工学院）；Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC)（圣塞巴斯蒂安国际物理中心）；IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science（伊克尔巴斯基克科学基金会）；Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, Institut Néel（格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学、法国国家科学研究中心、格勒诺布尔理工学院、内耳研究所）
We develop a topological theory for disordered Weyl semimetals in the framework of gauge invariance of replica formalism and boundary-bulk correspondence of Chern insulators. An anisotropic topological $θ$-term is analytically derived for the effective non-linear sigma model. It is this nontrivial topological term that ensures the bulk transverse transport of Weyl semimetals to be robust against disorders. Moreover, we establish a general diagram that reveals the intrinsic relations among topological terms in the non-linear sigma models and gauge response theories respectively for $(2n + 2)$-d…
We study the dynamics of Dirac and Weyl electrons in disordered point-node semimetals. The ballistic feature of the transport is demonstrated by simulating the wave-packet dynamics on lattice models. We show that the ballistic transport survives under a considerable strength of disorder up to the semimetal-metal transition point, which indicates the robustness of point-node semimetals against disorder. We also visualize the robustness of the nodal points and linear dispersion under broken translational symmetry. The speed of the wave packets slows down with increasing disorder strength, and va…
Weyl semimetals are paradigmatic topological gapless phases in three dimensions. We here address the effect of disorder on charge transport in Weyl semimetals. For a single Weyl node with energy at the degeneracy point and without interactions, theory predicts the existence of a critical disorder strength beyond which the density of states takes on a nonzero value. Predictions for the conductivity are divergent, however. In this work, we present a numerical study of transport properties for a disordered Weyl cone at zero energy. For weak disorder our results are consistent with a renormalizati…
We report anomalous quantum transport features in bilayer graphene in presence of a random distribution of structural vacancies. By using an efficient real-space Kubo-Greenwood transport methodology, the impact of a varying density of dimer versus non-dimer vacancies is investigated in very large scale disordered models. While non-dimer vacancies are shown to induce localization regimes, dimer vacancies result in an unexpected ballistic regime whose energy window surprisingly enlarges with increasing impurity density. Such counterintuitive phenomenon is explained by the formation of an effecti…
We study magnetotransport in a disordered Weyl semimetal taking into account localization effects exactly. In the vicinity of a Weyl node, a single chiral Landau level coexists with a number of conventional non-chiral levels. Disorder scattering mixes these topologically different modes leading to peculiar localization effects. We derive the average conductance as well as the full distribution function of transmission probabilities along the field direction. Remarkably, we find that localization of the non-chiral modes is greatly enhanced in a strong magnetic field with the typical localizatio…
In disordered Weyl semimetals, mechanisms of topological origin lead to the protection against Anderson localization, and at the same time to different types of transverse electromagnetic response -- the anomalous Hall, and chiral magnetic effect. We here apply field theory methods to discuss the manifestation of these phenomena at length scales which are beyond the scope of diagrammatic perturbation theory. Specifically we show how an interplay of symmetry breaking and the chiral anomaly leads to a field theory containing two types of topological terms. Generating the unconventional response …
We study the intrinsic and extrinsic Hall effects in disordered magnetic Weyl semimetals numerically. We show that in Weyl metals, where the Fermi energy deviates from the Weyl point, the Hall and longitudinal conductances exhibit a specific relation, which is distinguished from the well-known relation in integer quantum Hall systems. Around the Weyl point, the Hall conductance increases with increasing longitudinal conductance. This increasing behavior indicates the existence of additional contributions to the Hall conductance from the subbands of Weyl cones besides that from the bulk Berry c…
Motivated by Weyl semimetals and weakly doped semiconductors, we study transport in a weakly disordered semiconductor with a power-law quasiparticle dispersion $ξ_{\bf k}\propto k^α$. We show, that in $2α$ dimensions short-correlated disorder experiences logarithmic renormalisation from all energies in the band. We study the case of a general dimension $d$ using a renormalisation group, controlled by an $\varepsilon=2α-d$-expansion. Above the critical dimensions, conduction exhibits a localisation-delocalisation phase transition or a sharp crossover (depending on the symmetries of the Hamilton…
We study the electronic transport in the lowest Landau level of disordered two-dimensional semimetals placed in a homogeneous perpendicular magnetic field. The material system is modeled by the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang Hamiltonian, which has zero energy Landau modes due to the material's intrinsic Berry curvature. These turn out to be crucially important for the density of states and the static conductivity of the disordered system. We develop an analytical approach to the diffusion and conductivity based on a self-consistent equation of motion for the mean squared displacement. The obtained valu…
Topological Weyl semimetals, besides manifesting chiral anomaly, can also accommodate a disorder-driven unconventional quantum phase transition into a metallic phase. A fundamentally and practically important question in this regard concerns an experimentally measurable quantity that can clearly distinguish these two phases. We show that the optical conductivity while serving this purpose can also play the role of a bonafide order parameter across such disorder-driven semimetal-metal quantum phase transition by virtue of displaying distinct scaling behavior in semimetallic and metallic phases,…
Weyl semimetals have been intensely studied as a three dimensional realization of a Dirac-like excitation spectrum where the conduction bands and valence bands touch at isolated Weyl points in momentum space. Like in graphene, this property entails various peculiar electronic properties. However, recent theoretical studies have suggested that resonant scattering from rare regions can give rise to a non-zero density of states even at charge neutrality. Here, we give a detailed account of this effect and demonstrate how the semimetallic nature is suppressed at the lowest scales. To this end, we …
Finding fingerprints of disordered Weyl semimetals (WSMs) is an unsolved task. Here we report such findings in the level statistics and the fractal nature of electron wavefunction around Weyl nodes of disordered WSMs. The nearest-neighbor level spacing follows a new universal distribution $P_c(s)=C_1 s^2\exp[-C_2 s^{2-γ_0}]$ originally proposed for the level statistics of critical states in the integer quantum Hall systems or normal dirty metals (diffusive metals) at metal-to-insulator transitions, instead of the Wigner-Dyson distribution for diffusive metals. Numerically, we find $γ_0=0.62\pm…
We study the quantum phase diagram of a three dimensional non-interacting Dirac semimetal in the presence of either quenched axial or scalar potential disorder, by calculating the average and the typical density of states as well as the inverse participation ratio using numerically exact methods. We show that as a function of the disorder strength a half-filled (i.e. undoped) Dirac semimetal displays three distinct ground states, namely an incompressible semimetal, a compressible diffusive metal, and a localized Anderson insulator, in stark contrast to a conventional dirty metal that only supp…
We theoretically study transport in two-dimensional semimetals. Typically, electron and hole puddles emerge in the transport layer of these systems due to smooth fluctuations in the potential. We calculate the electric response of the electron-hole liquid subject to zero and finite perpendicular magnetic fields using an effective medium approximation and a complimentary mapping on resistor networks. In the presence of smooth disorder and in the limit of weak electron-hole recombination rate, we find for small but finite overlap of the electron and hole bands an abrupt upturn in resistivity whe…
Weyl semimetal, a three-dimensional electronic system with relativistic linear energy dispersion around gapless points carrying nontrivial Berry charge, is predicted to exhibit a wealth of unique response and transport properties.A crucial question is whether those properties are robust against disorder and whether Anderson localization occurs.In this work, the effects of nonperturbative topological (vortex loop) excitations and Berry phase in disordered time-reversal invariant 3d Weyl semimetal are studied.It is shown that the chiral symmetry is restored in the nonlinear sigma model describin…
Using the Feynman diagram techniques, we derive the finite-temperature conductivity and magnetoconductivity formulas from the quantum interference and electron-electron interaction, for a three-dimensional disordered Weyl semimetal. For a single valley of Weyl fermions, we find that the magnetoconductivity is negative and proportional to the square root of magnetic field at low temperatures, as a result of the weak antilocalization. By including the contributions from the weak antilocalization, Berry curvature correction, and Lorentz force, we compare the calculated magnetoconductivity with a …
In disordered Weyl semimetals, mechanisms of topological origin lead to novel mechanisms of transport, which manifest themselves in unconventional types of electromagnetic response. Prominent examples of transport phenomena particular to the Weyl context include the anomalous Hall effect, the chiral magnetic effect, and the formation of totally field dominated regimes of transport in which the longitudinal conductance is proportional to an external magnetic field. In this paper, we discuss the manifestations of these phenomena at large length scales including the cases of strong disorder and/o…
Weyl semimetals are gapless quasi-topological materials with a set of isolated nodal points forming their Fermi surface. They manifest their quasi-topological character in a series of topological electromagnetic responses including the anomalous Hall effect. Here we study the effect of disorder on Weyl semimetals while monitoring both their nodal/semi-metallic and topological properties through computations of the localization length and the Hall conductivity. We examine three different lattice tight-binding models which realize the Weyl semimetal in part of their phase diagram and look for un…
Non-Hermiticity in Weyl Hamiltonian leads to the realization of Weyl exceptional rings and flat bands inside the Weyl exceptional rings. Recently, the platform of non-Hermitian physics is extended to many-body or disordered systems where quasiparticles possess finite lifetime. Here, we clarify that the deviation from unitarity limit in a disordered Weyl semimetal leads to the generation of Weyl exceptional rings regardless of the detail of the scattering potential. In the case of topological Dirac semimetals, hybrid rings and flat bands without vorticity of complex-energy eigenvalues are reali…
Although Lorentz invariance forbids the presence of a term that tilts the energy-momentum relation in the Weyl Hamiltonian, a tilted dispersion is not forbidden and, in fact, generic for condensed matter realizations of Weyl semimetals. We here investigate the combined effect of such a tilted Weyl dispersion and the presence of potential disorder. In particular, we address the influence of a tilt on the disorder-induced phase transition between a quasi-ballistic phase at weak disorder, in which the disorder is an irrelevant perturbation, and a diffusive phase at strong disorder. Our main resul…
Three dimensional Dirac semimetals are stable against weak potential disorder, but not against strong disorder. In the language of renormalization group, such stability stems from the irrelevance of weak disorder in the vicinity of the noninteracting Gaussian fixed point. However, beyond a threshold, potential disorder can take Dirac semimetals into a compressible diffusive metallic phase through a quantum phase transition (QPT), where density of states at zero energy, quasiparticle lifetime and metallic conductivity at $T=0$, are finite. Universal behavior of such unconventional QPT is descri…
Quantum phase transitions of three-dimensional (3D) Weyl semimetals (WSMs) subject to uncorrelated on-site disorder are investigated through quantum conductance calculations and finite-size scaling of localization length. Contrary to previous claims that a direct transition from a WSM to a diffusive metal (DM) occurs, an intermediate phase of Chern insulator (CI) between the two distinct metallic phases should exist due to internode scattering that is comparable to intranode scattering. The critical exponent of localization length is $ν\simeq 1.3$ for both the WSM-CI and CI-DM transitions, in …
Nodal semimetals (e.g. Dirac, Weyl and nodal-line semimetals, graphene, etc.) and systems of pinned particles with power-law interactions (trapped ultracold ions, nitrogen defects in diamonds, spins in solids, etc.) are presently at the centre of attention of large communities of researchers working in condensed-matter and atomic, molecular and optical physics. Although seemingly unrelated, both classes of systems are abundant with novel fundamental thermodynamic and transport phenomena. In this paper, we demonstrate that low-energy field theories of quasiparticles in semimetals may be mapped …
We study the conductance $G$ of 2D Dirac semimetal nanowires at the presence of disorder. For an even nanowire length $L$ determined by the number of unit cells, we find non-integer values for $G$ that are independent of $L$ and persist with weak disorder, indicated by the vanishing fluctuations of $G$. The effect is created by a combination of the scattering effects at the contacts(interface) between the leads and the nanowire, an energy gap present in the nanowire for even $L$ and the topological properties of the 2D Dirac semimetals. Unlike conventional materials the reduced $G$ due to the …
We analyze the thermoelectric response of Dirac and Weyl semimetals using the semiclassical approach, focusing on the extrinsic contributions due to skew-scattering and side jump. Our results apply to linear response Nernst effect in ferromagnetic Dirac materials such as Fe$_3$Sn$_2$, Weyl semimetal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ and to second order response of monolayer graphene on hBN with trigonal warping. Our analysis indicates that the extrinsic contributions can be a significant component of anomalous Nernst response and used to explain an enhanced thermoelectric response.
In electronic band structure of solid state material, two band touching points with linear dispersion appear in pair in the momentum space. When they annihilate with each other, the system undergoes a quantum phase transition from three-dimensional Weyl semimetal (WSM) phase to a band insulator phase such as Chern band insulator (CI) phase. The phase transition is described by a new critical theory with a `magnetic dipole' like object in the momentum space. In this paper, we reveal that the critical theory hosts a novel disorder-driven quantum multicritical point, which is encompassed by three…
Isolated Weyl cones in a disordered environment do not show the phenomenon of Anderson localization due to the abscence of backscattering processes. However, besides the conventional three dimensional diffusive metal, an additional semimetallic phase can form. In this paper we study the effect of tilt on the physics of disorder in isolated Weyl cones. Our main finding is that while the semimetallic phase remains a stable phase, tilt decreases the size of the semimetallic region. Conversely, disorder increases the effective tilt of the quasiparticle excitations.
Recently, a concept of orthogonal metal has been introduced to reinterpret the disordered state of slave-spin representation in the Hubbard model as an exotic gapped metallic state. We have extended this concept to study the slave-spin representation of Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice.[Phys. Rev. B \textbf{86}, 165134 (2012)] It is found that a novel gapped metallic state coined orthogonal Dirac semimetal is identified. Such state corresponds to the disordered phase of slave-spin and has the same thermal-dynamical and transport properties as Dirac semimetal but its singe-particle excita…
We connect between the problem of thermodynamics of localized magnetic moments in a Dirac semimetal, the interaction with relativistic electrons leading to the effective ferromagnetic exchange between the moments, and the existing theories dealing with long--range exchange interaction. We point out that the results of high--temperature expansion for the free energy of a dilute ensemble of magnetic impurities in the semimetal performed by V. Cheianov et al. (Phys. Rev. B {\bf 86}, 054424 (2012)) give an indication to the existence of a new disordered fixed point in such model.
Topological semimetals are a class of novel three-dimensional (3D) electronic phases that feature topologically protected conical band-touchings at the Fermi level. These band-touching points are monopoles of Berry curvature in momentum space and effectively realize (3+1)-dimensional Weyl fermions as emergent quasiparticles. Such features are robust to perturbations but not completely insensitive to them. In this thesis, we explore the yet fertile ground of disordered Weyl semimetals (WSMs), most notably by analysing the effects of on-site random fields, random smooth potential regions, point-…
With the recent discovery of Weyl semimetals, the phenomenon of negative magnetoresistance (MR) is attracting renewed interest. While small negative MR can occur due to the suppression of spin scattering or weak localization, large negative MR is rare in materials, and when it happens, it is usually related to magnetism. The large negative MR in Weyl semimetals is peculiar in that it is unrelated to magnetism and comes from chiral anomaly. Here we report that there is a new mechanism for large negative MR which is not related to magnetism but is related to disorder. In the newly-synthesized bu…
We study three-dimensional Dirac fermions with weak finite-range scalar potential disorder. In the clean system, the density of states vanishes quadratically at the Dirac point. Disorder is known to be perturbatively irrelevant, and previous theoretical work has assumed that the Dirac semimetal phase, characterized by a vanishing density of states, survives at weak disorder, with a finite disorder phase transition to a diffusive metal with a non-vanishing density of states. In this paper we show that nonperturbative effects from rare regions, which are missed by conventional disorder-averaged …
The quantum phase transition between the three dimensional Dirac semimetal and the diffusive metal can be induced by increasing disorder. Taking the system of disordered $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological insulator as an important example, we compute the single particle density of states by the kernel polynomial method. We focus on three regions: the Dirac semimetal at the phase boundary between two topologically distinct phases, the tricritical point of the two topological insulator phases and the diffusive metal, and the diffusive metal lying at strong disorder. The density of states obeys a novel s…
We investigate the effects of periodic fields and disorder on topological properties of a Weyl-semimetal thin film. The two periodic fields, i.e., a periodic magnetic field and elliptically polarized light, are discussed respectively. By use of the Floquet theory, we find that both the two periodic drives can resonantly induce the topological transitions from normal insulator (NI) phases to Floquet topological insulator (FTI) phases. The Floquet topological transitions are characterized by variation of Chern number. Moreover, we show that the Floquet topological transitions can be explained by…
We study the effect of disorder on massless, spinful Dirac fermions in two spatial dimensions with attractive interactions, and show that the combination of disorder and attractive interactions is deadly to the Dirac semimetal phase. First, we derive the zero temperature phase diagram of a clean Dirac fermion system with tunable doping level (μ) and attraction strength (g). We show that it contains two phases: a superconductor and a Dirac semimetal. Then, we show that arbitrarily weak disorder destroys the Dirac semimetal, turning it into a superconductor. We discuss the strength of the superc…
Data from angle resolved photo-emission spectroscopy (ARPES) often serves as a smoking-gun evidence for the existence of topological materials. It provides the energy dispersion curves of the topological boundary modes which characterize these phases. Unfortunately this method requires a sufficiently regular boundary such that these boundary modes remain sharp in momentum space. Here the seemingly random data obtained from performing ARPES on strongly disordered topological insulators and Weyl semimetals is analyzed theoretically and numerically. Expectedly the disorder averaged ARPES spectra …
The generalized bulk-boundary correspondence predicts the existence of the chiral hinge states in three-dimensional second-order topological insulators (3DSOTIs), resulting in a quantized Hall effect in three dimensions. Chiral hinge states in Hermitian 3DSOTIs are characterized by the quantized transmission coefficients with zero fluctuations, even in the presence of disorders. Here, we show that chiral hinge transport in disordered non-Hermitian systems deviates from the paradigm of the Hermitian case. Our numerical calculations prove the robustness of hinge states of disordered non-Hermitia…
Vortex-enhanced photovoltaic current in disordered topological materials
University of Missouri（密苏里大学）；The Ohio State University（俄亥俄州立大学）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；University of California Santa Cruz（加州大学圣克鲁兹分校）
A novel gapped metallic state coined orthogonal Dirac semimetal is proposed in the honeycomb lattice in terms of $Z_{2}$ slave-spin representation of Hubbard model. This state corresponds to the disordered phase of slave-spin and has the same thermaldynamical and transport properties as usual Dirac semimetal but its singe-particle excitation is gapped and has nontrivial topological order due to the $Z_{2}$ gauge structure. The quantum phase transition from this orthogonal Dirac semimetal to usual Dirac semimetal is described by a mean-field decoupling with complementary fluctuation analysis an…
New materials such as nodal-line semimetals offer a unique setting for novel transport phenomena. Here, we calculate the quantum correction to conductivity in a disordered nodal-line semimetal. The torus-shaped Fermi surface and encircled $π$ Berry flux carried by the nodal loop result in a fascinating interplay between the effective dimensionality of electron diffusion and band topology, which depends on the scattering range of the impurity potential relative to the size of the nodal loop. For a short-range impurity potential, backscattering is dominated by the interference paths that do not …
