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Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Band Structure, and Electrical Properties of the Dirac Semimetal ZrTe<sub>2</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

Topological semimetals (TSMs), a class of gapless electronic phases exhibiting topologically stable crossings of bulk energy bands, have attracted tremendous interest in the condensed matter physics community recently. Based on the origin of the band crossing, TSMs can be classified into Dirac semimetals (DSMs), Weyl semimetals (WSMs) and others. Recently, the transition metal dichalcogenide ZrTe2 has been theoretically predicted and experimentally demonstrated to possess a DSM phase. We used molecular beam epitaxy to synthesize ZrTe2 thin films on insulating sapphire (0001) substrates and performed systematic in vacuo angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements. The observation of the Dirac cone in the ARPES spectra of ZrTe2 thin films confirms the DSM phase. We also measured the temperature dependence of the ex-situ magneto-transport and found that negative magnetoresistance is absent in our films. We are also exploring the quantum phase transition from DSM to WSM by transition metal doping into these ZrTe2 films.

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Presenters

  • Timothy Pillsbury

    Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, Penn Sate University, Pennsylvania State University, Physics, Pennsylvania State University

Authors

  • Timothy Pillsbury

    Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, Penn Sate University, Pennsylvania State University, Physics, Pennsylvania State University

  • Anthony R. Richardella

    Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania State University, Physics, Pennsylvania State University

  • Run Xiao

    Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, Physics, Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University

  • Wilson Yanez

    Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania State University, Physics, Pennsylvania State University

  • Max Stanley

    Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University

  • Hemian Yi

    Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University

  • Cui-Zu Chang

    Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University

  • Nitin Samarth

    Penn State University, Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, Physics, Pennsylvania State University