Exploring emergent phases and phenomena at a Weyl semimetal/spin ice pyrochlore interface

In pyrochlore lattice materials, the interplay of electronic correlations, spin-orbit coupling, and geometrical frustration gives rise to exotic quantum states, including topological semimetals and spin ice. While these states have been observed in isolation, the interface-driven phases and phenomena emerging from their interactions have not been realized previously. In this talk, we report on the emergence of electronic anisotropy and rotational symmetry breaking at a pyrochlore heterostructure consisting of the Weyl semimetal Eu2Ir2O7 and spin ice Dy2Ti2O7. We will discuss experimental and theoretical exploration of these phenomena, resulting from a unique interfacial Kondo-like coupling between the Fermi-arc surface states of the Weyl semimetal and field-tuned magnetic states of the spin ice. These phenomena indicate the emergence of a new many-body phase at the interface with the signatures of a quantum electronic nematic state.