Fermi arc topology and interconnectivity in Weyl fermion semimetals TaAs, TaP, NbAs, and NbP

TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of Fermi surface topology and interconnectivity in Weyl semimetals TaAs, TaP, NbAs, and NbP, enhancing understanding of their topologically protected Weyl fermion physics.

Contribution

It offers the first comparative study of Fermi surface topology and band structures across all known Weyl semimetals in this family.

Findings

Revealed complex Fermi surface interconnectivity in all compounds.

Identified key differences in band structures among the materials.

Provided foundational data for future topological physics research.

Abstract

The family of binary compounds including TaAs, TaP, NbAs, and NbP was recently discovered as the first realization of Weyl semimetals. In order to develop a comprehensive description of the charge carriers in these Weyl semimetals, we performed systematic electronic structure calculations which reveal the nature of Fermi surfaces and their complex interconnectivity in TaAs, TaP, NbAs, and NbP. Our work report the first comparative and comprehensive study of Fermi surface topology and band structure details of all known members of the Weyl semimetal family and provide the necessary building blocks for advancing our understanding of their unique topologically protected low-energy Weyl fermion physics.