Electronic anisotropy and rotational symmetry breaking at a Weyl semimetal/spin ice interface
Abstract
In magnetic pyrochlore materials, the interplay of spin-orbit coupling, electronic correlations, and geometrical frustration gives rise to exotic quantum phases, including topological semimetals and spin ice. While these phases have been observed in isolation, the interface-driven phenomena emerging from their interaction have never been realized previously. Here, we report on the discovery of interfacial electronic anisotropy and rotational symmetry breaking at a heterostructure consisting of the Weyl semimetal Eu2Ir2O7 and spin ice Dy2Ti2O7. Subjected to magnetic fields, we unveil a six-fold anisotropic transport response that is theoretically accounted by a Kondo-coupled heterointerface, where the spin ice's field-tuned magnetism induces electron scattering in the Weyl semimetal's topological Fermi-arc states. Furthermore, at elevated magnetic fields, we reveal a two-fold anisotropic response indicative of a new symmetry-broken many-body state. This discovery showcases the nascent potential of complex quantum architectures in search of emergent phenomena unreachable in bulk crystals.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2409.18880,
title = {Electronic anisotropy and rotational symmetry breaking at a Weyl semimetal/spin ice interface},
author = {Tsung-Chi Wu and Yueqing Chang and Ang-Kun Wu and Michael Terilli and Fangdi Wen and Mikhail Kareev and Eun Sang Choi and David Graf and Qinghua Zhang and Lin Gu and Zhentao Wang and Jedediah H. Pixley and Jak Chakhalian},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2409.18880},
year = {2025}
}