Quantized Hall conductance in 3D topological nodal-line semimetals without chiral symmetry

Abstract

A quantized Hall conductance (not conductivity) in three dimensions has been searched for more than 30 years. Here we explore it in 3D topological nodal-line semimetals, by using a model capable of describing all essential physics of a semimetal, in particular the drumhead surface states protected by a momentum-dependent winding number. We develop a microscopic theory to demonstrate that the drumhead surface states can host quantized Hall conductance in this 3D material. We stress that breaking chiral symmetry is necessary for the quantum Hall effect of the drumhead surface states. The analytic theory can be verified numerically by the Kubo formula. There may also be trivial quantum Hall effects from the bulk states. We propose an experimental setup to distinguish the surface and bulk quantum Hall effects. The theory will be useful for ongoing explorations on nodal-line semimetals.

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Longitudinal DC Conductivity in Dirac Nodal Line Semimetals: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Contributions
• Unveiling three types of fermions in a nodal ring topological semimetal through magneto-optical transitions
• Quantum oscillation in Hopf-link semimetals
• Dark solitons in nonlinear Su-Schrieffer-Heeger lattices
• Quantized Spin Hall Effect in Three-Dimensional Nodal-Ring Semimetal: Geometric Scaling and Symmetry-Engineered Spin Response