Evidence for a Magnetic-Field-Induced Ideal Type-II Weyl State in Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator Mn ( Bi 1 − x Sb x ) 2 Te 4

Abstract: 

The discovery of Weyl semimetals (WSMs) has fueled tremendous interest in condensed matter physics. The realization of WSMs requires the breaking of either inversion symmetry (IS) or time-reversal symmetry (TRS). WSMs can be categorized into type-I and type-II WSMs, which are characterized by untilted and strongly tilted Weyl cones, respectively. Type-I WSMs with breaking of either IS or TRS and type-II WSMs with solely broken IS have been realized experimentally, but a TRS-breaking type-II WSM still remains elusive. In this article, we report transport evidence for a TRS-breaking type-II WSM observed in the intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator Mn(Bi1xSbx)2Te4 under magnetic fields. This state is manifested by the electronic structure transition caused by the spin-flop transition. The transition results in an intrinsic anomalous Hall effect and negative c-axis longitudinal magnetoresistance attributable to the chiral anomaly in the ferromagnetic phases of lightly hole-doped samples. Our results establish a promising platform for exploring the underlying physics of the long-sought, ideal TRS-breaking type-II WSM.

Author: 
Lee SH
Graf DE
Min L
Zhu Y
Hemian Y
Ciocys S
Wang Y
Choi ES
Basnet R
Fereidouni A
Wegner A
Zhao Y-F
Verlinde K
He J
Redwing R
Gopalan V
Churchill HOH
Lanzara A
Samarth N
Chang C-Z
Hu J
Mao ZQ
Publication date: 
August 10, 2020
Publication type: 
Journal Article