Strain-tuned topological phase transition and unconventional Zeeman effect in ZrTe5 microcrystals

Gaikwad，Apurva1; Sun，Song2,3; Wang，Peipei4; Zhang，Liyuan4; Cano，Jennifer1,5; Dai，Xi6,7; Du，Xu1

2022-12-01

10.1038/s43246-022-00316-5

Communications Materials   Impact Factor & Quartile

2662-4443

The geometric phase of an electronic wave function, also known as Berry phase, is the fundamental basis of the topological properties in solids. This phase can be tuned by modulating the band structure of a material, providing a way to drive a topological phase transition. However, despite significant efforts in designing and understanding topological materials, it remains still challenging to tune a given material across different topological phases while tracing the impact of the Berry phase on its quantum transport properties. Here, we report these two effects in a magnetotransport study of ZrTe. By tuning the band structure with uniaxial strain, we use quantum oscillations to directly map a weak-to-strong topological insulator phase transition through a gapless Dirac semimetal phase. Moreover, we demonstrate the impact of the strain-tunable spin-dependent Berry phase on the Zeeman effect through the amplitude of the quantum oscillations. We show that such a spin-dependent Berry phase, largely neglected in solid-state systems, is critical in modeling quantum oscillations in Dirac bands of topological materials.

ESCI

English

Others

National Science Foundation[DMR-1808491];

Materials Science

Materials Science, Multidisciplinary

WOS:000888807000001

SPRINGERNATURE

2-s2.0-85142486479

Scopus

1.Department of Physics and Astronomy,Stony Brook University,Stony Brook,11794,United States
2.Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics,and Institute of Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,100190,China
3.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,100049,China
4.Department of Physics,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
5.Center for Computational Quantum Physics,Flatiron Institute,New York,10010,United States
6.Materials Department,University of California,Santa Barbara,93106-5050,United States
7.Department of Physics,The Hongkong University of Science and Technology,Clear Water Bay, Kowloon,999077,Hong Kong

Gaikwad，Apurva,Sun，Song,Wang，Peipei,et al. Strain-tuned topological phase transition and unconventional Zeeman effect in ZrTe5 microcrystals[J]. Communications Materials,2022,3(1).

Gaikwad，Apurva.,Sun，Song.,Wang，Peipei.,Zhang，Liyuan.,Cano，Jennifer.,...&Du，Xu.(2022).Strain-tuned topological phase transition and unconventional Zeeman effect in ZrTe5 microcrystals.Communications Materials,3(1).

Gaikwad，Apurva,et al."Strain-tuned topological phase transition and unconventional Zeeman effect in ZrTe5 microcrystals".Communications Materials 3.1(2022).