Direct observation of the spin–orbit coupling effect in magnetic Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2

• Published in: npj quantum materials Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Liu, D. F., Liu, E. K., Xu, Q. N., Shen, J. L., Li, Y. W., Pei, D., Liang, A. J., Dudin, P., Kim, T. K., Cacho, C., Xu, Y. F., Sun, Y., Yang, L. X., Liu, Z. K., Felser, C., Parkin, S. S. P., Chen, Y. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 20-01-2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/301/119/2792; 639/301/119/995; Condensed Matter Physics; Crystal structure; Energy; Laboratories; Metalloids; Photoelectric emission; Physical properties; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Physics; Spectrum analysis; Spin-orbit interactions; Structural Materials; Surfaces and Interfaces; Symmetry; Thin Films; Topological insulators
• ISSN: 2397-4648; 2397-4648
• DOI: 10.1038/s41535-021-00392-9

The spin–orbit coupling (SOC) lifts the band degeneracy that plays a vital role in the search for different topological states, such as topological insulators (TIs) and topological semimetals (TSMs). In TSMs, the SOC can partially gap a degenerate nodal line, leading to the formation of Dirac/Weyl semimetals (DSMs/WSMs). However, such SOC-induced gap structure along the nodal line in TSMs has not yet been systematically investigated experimentally. Here, we report a direct observation of such gap structure in a magnetic WSM Co
3
Sn
2
S
2
using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our results not only reveal the existence and importance of the strong SOC effect in the formation of the WSM phase in Co
3
Sn
2
S
2
, but also provide insights for the understanding of its exotic physical properties.