LEAPS-MPS: Design and discovery of new magnetic Weyl semimetals

Missouri University Of Science And Technology, Rolla MO

Investigators

Abstract

Non-technical abstract: Technological progress in electronics depend on the discovery and development of novel quantum materials. Recently discovered Weyl semimetals are a promising new class of materials with potentially wide-ranging technological applications. However, many of the currently known Weyl semimetals require the application of an external magnetic field or pressure to reveal their novel behavior, which is a drawback in applications where none can be applied. In that respect, new intrinsically magnetic Weyl semimetals are desirable, but only a few such materials are known. This project aims to explore and characterize a new family of proposed magnetic Weyl semimetals through single crystal growth and magneto-electrical transport measurements. It will unlock the key ingredients necessary for discovery and design of new magnetic Weyl semimetals. The project includes a comprehensive outreach strategy and provides important training in material synthesis and characterization for high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Technical Abstract: Magnetic Weyl semimetals, characterized by broken spatial inversion and time-reversal symmetries whose quasiparticle excitations are Weyl fermions, have recently attracted much attention because they show a variety of new topological states that are promising for diverse technological applications, including quantum bits. Despite significant theoretical and experimental work, only a few such materials are known. The objective of this project is to discover and design such materials through the investigation of families of magnetic strongly correlated intermetallic compounds via single crystal growth and measurement of magnetotransport properties (i.e., the Hall effect). Together with theoretical calculations and angle-resolved photo-emission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements, this project will provide deeper insight into how Weyl fermions manifest in condensed matter systems, broaden the current research field by discovering many new magnetic Weyl semimetal families, and study the interplay between Weyl fermions, electron-electron correlations and quantum criticality. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.