Anomalous Hall effect in Weyl semimetal half-Heusler compounds RPtBi (R = Gd and Nd)

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Chandra Shekhar - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)
  • Nitesh Kumar - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)
  • V. Grinenko - , Chair of Solid State Physics/Electronic Properties, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Sanjay Singh - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)
  • R. Sarkar - , Chair of Solid State Physics/Electronic Properties (Author)
  • H. Luetkens - , Paul Scherrer Institute (Author)
  • Shu Chun Wu - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)
  • Yang Zhang - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)
  • Alexander C. Komarek - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)
  • Erik Kampert - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Yurii Skourski - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Jochen Wosnitza - , Chair of Physics of High Magnetic Fields, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Walter Schnelle - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)
  • Alix McCollam - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Uli Zeitler - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Jürgen Kübler - , Technische Universität Darmstadt (Author)
  • Binghai Yan - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)
  • H. H. Klauss - , Chair of Solid State Physics/Electronic Properties (Author)
  • S. S.P. Parkin - , Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics (Author)
  • C. Felser - , Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Author)

Abstract

Topological materials ranging from topological insulators to Weyl and Dirac semimetals form one of the most exciting current fields in condensed-matter research. Many half-Heusler compounds, RPtBi (R = rare earth), have been theoretically predicted to be topological semimetals. Among various topological attributes envisaged in RPtBi, topological surface states, chiral anomaly, and planar Hall effect have been observed experimentally. Here, we report an unusual intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in the antiferromagnetic Heusler Weyl semimetal compounds GdPtBi and NdPtBi that is observed over a wide temperature range. In particular, GdPtBi exhibits an anomalous Hall conductivity of up to 60 Ω −1 ·cm −1 and an anomalous Hall angle as large as 23%. Muon spin-resonance (μSR) studies of GdPtBi indicate a sharp antiferromagnetic transition (T N ) at 9 K without any noticeable magnetic correlations above T N . Our studies indicate that Weyl points in these half-Heuslers are induced by a magnetic field via exchange splitting of the electronic bands at or near the Fermi energy, which is the source of the chiral anomaly and the AHE.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9140-9144
Number of pages5
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume115
Issue number37
Publication statusPublished - 11 Sept 2018
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 30154165

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Anomalous Hall conductivity, Berry curvature, Heuslers, Muon spin-resonance, Weyl semimetal