Magnetic field–induced type II Weyl semimetallic state in geometrically frustrated Shastry-Sutherland lattice GdB4

Abstract

Weyl semimetal is a topologically non-trivial phase of matter with pairs of Weyl nodes in the k-space, which act as monopole and antimonopole pairs of the Berry curvature. Two hallmarks of the Weyl metallic state are the topological surface state called the Fermi arc and the chiral anomaly. It is known that the chiral anomaly yields anomalous magnetotransport phenomena. In this study, we report the emergence of the type II Weyl semimetallic state in the geometrically frustrated non-collinear antiferromagnetic Shastry-Sutherland lattice (SSL) GdB4 crystal. When we apply magnetic fields perpendicular to the non-collinear moments in the SSL plane, Weyl nodes are created above and below the Fermi energy along the M-A line (τ-band) because the spin tilting breaks the time-reversal symmetry and lifts band degeneracy while preserving C4z or C2z symmetry. The unique electronic structure of GdB4 under magnetic fields applied perpendicular to the SSL gives rise to a non-trivial Berry phase, detected in de Haas-van Alphen experiments, and chiral anomaly–induced negative magnetoresistance. The emergence of the magnetic field–induced Weyl state in the SSL presents a new guiding principle to develop novel types of Weyl semimetals in frustrated spin systems. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd