Tuning nodal line semimetals in trilayered systems

Abstract

We investigate two-dimensional trilayered quantum systems with multi-orbital conduction bands by focusing on the role played by the layer degree of freedom in setting the character of nodal line semimetals. The layer index can label the electronic states where the electrons reside in the unit cell and can enforce symmetry constraints in the electronic structure by protecting bands crossing. We demonstrate that both the atomic spin-orbit coupling and the removal of local orbital degeneracy can lead to different types of electronic transitions with nodal lines that undergo a changeover from a loop structure enclosing the center of the Brillouin zone to pockets winding around multiple high symmetry points. We introduce and employ a criterion to find the nodal lines transitions. On the basis of a zero-dimensional topological invariant that, for a selected electronic and energy manifold, counts the number of bands below the Fermi level with a given layer inversion eigenvalue in high symmetry points of the Brillouin zone, one can determine the structure of the nodal loops and the ensuing topological transitions.

arXiv comment8 pages, 12 figures

References in corpus (28)

• The electronic properties of graphene
• Topological Insulators
• Topological insulators and superconductors
• Quantum Spin Hall Effect and Topological Phase Transition in HgTe Quantum Wells
• $Z_2$ Topological Order and the Quantum Spin Hall Effect
• Quantum Spin Hall Insulator State in HgTe Quantum Wells
• Electronic Structure of Pyrochlore Iridates: From Topological Dirac Metal to Mott Insulator
• Topological Insulators in Three Dimensions
• Discovery (theoretical prediction and experimental observation) of a large-gap topological-insulator class with spin-polarized single-Dirac-cone on the surface
• A topological Dirac insulator in a quantum spin Hall phase : Experimental observation of first strong topological insulator
• Discovery of a Weyl Fermion Semimetal and Topological Fermi Arcs
• Topological invariants of time-reversal-invariant band structures
• Weyl Semimetal in a Topological Insulator Multilayer
• Dirac semimetal in three dimensions
• Theoretical Discovery/Prediction: Weyl Semimetal states in the TaAs material (TaAs, NbAs, NbP, TaP) class
• Chern semi-metal and Quantized Anomalous Hall Effect in HgCr2Se4
• Spintronics and Pseudospintronics in Graphene and Topological Insulators
• Observation of Weyl nodes in TaAs
• Classification of stable three-dimensional Dirac semimetals with nontrivial topology
• Quantum Hall effects in a Weyl Semi-Metal: possible application in pyrochlore Iridates
• Topological Semimetals
• Topological and magnetic phases of interacting electrons in the pyrochlore iridates
• Magnetoelectric effects and valley controlled spin quantum gates in transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers
• Time-reversal invariant realization of the Weyl semimetal phase
• Quantum phase transitions from topology in momentum space
• Pseudospin valve in bilayer graphene: towards graphene-based pseudospintronics
• Dimensional crossover in topological matter: Evolution of the multiple Dirac point in the layered system to the flat band on the surface
• Magnetic Anisotropy and Orbital Ordering in Ca${}_2$RuO${}_4$