A Weyl Fermion semimetal with surface Fermi arcs in the transition metal monopnictide TaAs class

Weyl fermions are massless chiral fermions that play an important role in quantum field theory but have never been observed as fundamental particles. A Weyl semimetal is an unusual crystal that hosts Weyl fermions as quasiparticle excitations and features Fermi arcs on its surface. Such a semimetal not only provides a condensed matter realization of the anomalies in quantum field theories but also demonstrates the topological classification beyond the gapped topological insulators. Here, we identify a topological Weyl semimetal state in the transition metal monopnictide materials class. Our first-principles calculations on TaAs reveal its bulk Weyl fermion cones and surface Fermi arcs. Our results show that in…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Awards: -AC02-05CH11231, DE-FG-02-05ER46200, 05CH11231, FG02-07ER46352, AC02-05CH11231, DE-AC02, DE-FG02-07ER46352, DE-FG02-, DE-AC02-05CH11231, DE-FG02, DE-AC02-
• GA
  Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

  Award: GBMF4547
• PU
  Princeton University

  Award: GBMF4547
• NE
  National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center

  Awards: 05CH11231, AC02-05CH11231
• NR
  National Research Foundation

  Award: NRF-NRFF2013-03
• NU
  National University of Singapore
• OO
  Office of Science

  Awards: AC02-05CH11231, -AC02-05CH11231, DE-FG02-07ER46352, DE-AC02
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Awards: 2014CB239302, DE-AC02-05CH11231, 2013CB921901
• BE
  Basic Energy Sciences

  Awards: DE-AC02, AC02-05CH11231, DE-FG-02-05ER46200, DE-AC02-05CH11231, DE-FG02, DE-FG02-07ER46352, -AC02-05CH11231