Stable Dirac semi-metal in the allotrope of IV elements

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a new metastable allotrope of germanium and tin, called germancite and stancite, which are Dirac semi-metals with unique topological surface states and potential for quantum spin Hall effects.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel metastable allotrope of Ge and Sn with Dirac semi-metal properties, topologically non-trivial surface states, and quantum spin Hall insulator behavior in thin films.

Findings

Germancite and stancite are Dirac semi-metals with Dirac points on the rotation axis.

Surface Fermi arcs and Lifshitz transition are observed in these materials.

Thin films exhibit intrinsic quantum spin Hall insulator properties.

Abstract

Three dimensional topological Dirac semi-metals represent a novel state of quantum matter with exotic electronic properties, in which a pair of Dirac points with the linear dispersion along all momentum directions exist in the bulk. Herein, by using the first principles calculations, we discover a new metastable allotrope of Ge and Sn in the staggered layered dumbbell structure, named as germancite and stancite, to be Dirac semi-metals with a pair of Dirac points on its rotation axis. On the surface parallel to the rotation axis, a pair of topologically non-trivial Fermi arcs are observed and a Lifshitz transition is found by tuning the Fermi level. Furthermore, the quantum thin film of germancite is found to be an intrinsic quantum spin Hall insulator. These discoveries suggest novel physical properties and future applications of the new metastable allotrope of Ge and Sn.