Signatures of a magnetic-field-induced Lifshitz transition in the ultra-quantum limit of the topological semimetal ZrTe${}_5$

Abstract

The quantum limit (QL) of an electron liquid, realised at strong magnetic fields, has long been proposed to host a wealth of strongly correlated states of matter. Electronic states in the QL are, for example, quasi-one dimensional (1D), which implies perfectly nested Fermi surfaces prone to instabilities. Whereas the QL typically requires unreachably strong magnetic fields, the topological semimetal ZrTe${}_5$ has been shown to reach the QL at fields of only a few Tesla. Here, we characterize the QL of ZrTe${}_5$ at fields up to 64 T by a combination of electrical-transport and ultrasound measurements. We find that the Zeeman effect in ZrTe${}_5$ enables an efficient tuning of the 1D Landau band structure with magnetic field. This results in a Lifshitz transition to a 1D Weyl regime in which perfect charge neutrality can be achieved. Since no instability-driven phase transitions destabilise the 1D electron liquid for the investigated field strengths and temperatures, our analysis establishes ZrTe${}_5$ as a thoroughly understood platform for potentially inducing more exotic interaction-driven phases at lower temperatures.

References in corpus (5)

• Quantum transport evidence for a three-dimensional Dirac semimetal phase in Cd3As2
• Gigantic magnetochiral anisotropy in the topological semimetal ZrTe5
• Origin of the quasi-quantized Hall effect in ZrTe5
• Anomalous Hall effect at the Lifshitz transition in ZrTe5
• High magnetic field induced charge density waves and sign reversal of the Hall coefficient in graphite

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Extremely large anomalous Hall conductivity and unusual axial diamagnetism in a quasi-1D Dirac material La${}_3$MgBi${}_5$
• Gate-tunable multiband transport in ZrTe5 thin devices
• Quantum-Hall physics and three dimensions
• Magnetic field driven Lifshitz transition and one-dimensional Weyl nodes in three-dimensional pentatellurides
• Engineering a pure Dirac regime in ZrTe${}_5$
• Rashba-splitting-induced topological flat band detected by anomalous resistance oscillations beyond the quantum limit in ZrTe${}_5$
• Quantum theory of the magnetochiral anisotropy coefficient in ZrTe${}_5$
• Spin-Triplet Excitonic Insulator in the Ultra-Quantum Limit of HfTe5
• Sliding-induced topological transitions in bilayer biphenylene
• Giant quantum oscillations in thermal transport in low-density metals via electron absorption of phonons