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Main Author: Abdulla, Faruk
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.02463
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author Abdulla, Faruk
author_facet Abdulla, Faruk
contents Weyl semimetal, which does not require any symmetry except translation for protection, is a robust gapless state of quantum matters in three dimensions. When translation symmetry is preserved, the only way to destroy a Weyl semimetal state is to bring two Weyl nodes of opposite chirality close to each other to annihilate pairwise. An external magnetic field can destroy a pair of Weyl nodes (which are separated by a momentum space distance $2k_0$) of opposite chirality, when the magnetic length $l_B$ becomes close to or smaller than the inverse separation $1/2k_0$. In this work, we investigate pairwise annihilation of Weyl nodes induced by external magnetic field which ranges all the way from small to a very large value in the Hofstadter regime $l_B \sim a$. We show that this pairwise annihilation in a WSM featuring two Weyl nodes leads to the emergence of either a normal insulator or a layered Chern insulator. In the case of a Weyl semimetal with multiple Weyl nodes, the potential for generating a variety of states through external magnetic fields emerges. Our study introduces a straightforward and intuitive representation of the pairwise annihilation process induced by magnetic fields, enabling accurate predictions of the phases that may appear after pairwise annihilation of Weyl nodes.
format Preprint
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institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Pairwise annihilation of Weyl nodes induced by magnetic fields in the Hofstadter regime
Abdulla, Faruk
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Weyl semimetal, which does not require any symmetry except translation for protection, is a robust gapless state of quantum matters in three dimensions. When translation symmetry is preserved, the only way to destroy a Weyl semimetal state is to bring two Weyl nodes of opposite chirality close to each other to annihilate pairwise. An external magnetic field can destroy a pair of Weyl nodes (which are separated by a momentum space distance $2k_0$) of opposite chirality, when the magnetic length $l_B$ becomes close to or smaller than the inverse separation $1/2k_0$. In this work, we investigate pairwise annihilation of Weyl nodes induced by external magnetic field which ranges all the way from small to a very large value in the Hofstadter regime $l_B \sim a$. We show that this pairwise annihilation in a WSM featuring two Weyl nodes leads to the emergence of either a normal insulator or a layered Chern insulator. In the case of a Weyl semimetal with multiple Weyl nodes, the potential for generating a variety of states through external magnetic fields emerges. Our study introduces a straightforward and intuitive representation of the pairwise annihilation process induced by magnetic fields, enabling accurate predictions of the phases that may appear after pairwise annihilation of Weyl nodes.
title Pairwise annihilation of Weyl nodes induced by magnetic fields in the Hofstadter regime
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.02463