Examining the validity of the two-dimensional conical model to describe the three-dimensional ZrTe5

Abstract

Understanding the low-energy excitation state in three-dimensional layered compound ZrTe5 remains a challenging problem in the study of novel topological materials. Recently, a two-dimensional conical model was proposed to explain the experimental optical spectroscopy in the 3D ZrTe5, Martino et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 217402 (2019)]. Motivated by this work, in this paper, we perform a systematic theoretical study on the optical conductivity of this model in both cases without and with an external magnetic field to further demonstrate the validity of this model and to recover new physics.We find that there exist completely different characteristics for optical conductivity along different directions, due to anisotropic low-energy excitations in this two-dimensional conical model. Specifically, for the interband optical conductivity, we find asymptotic dependence on the optical frequency as Re(σ_x)\simω^{1/2} and Re(σ_z)\simω^{3/2}, which are universal both in the gapped insulator phase and Weyl semimetal phase. For the magneto-optical conductivity, on the contrary, Re(σ^B_{x/z}) shows distinct signatures in the gapped insulator phase and Weyl semimetal phase, which can help distinguish the two phases. Our results, to be verified in future experiments, could provide more insights into the understanding of the topological nature of ZrTe5.

arXiv commentPhys.Rev.B 101, 195201 (2020)

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Distinguishing the gapped and Weyl semimetal scenario in ZrTe${}_5$: insights from an effective two-band model
• Quantum oscillations and three-dimensional quantum Hall effect in ZrTe${}_5$
• High-harmonic generation in semi-Dirac and Weyl semimetals with broken time-reversal symmetry: Exploring merging of Weyl nodes
• Gapped Dirac semimetal with mixed linear and parabolic dispersions
• Optical conductivity and resistivity in a four-band model for ZrTe${}_5$ from ab-initio calculations
• Unconventional optical selection rules in ZrTe5 under an in-plane magnetic field