Anomalous tunneling characteristic of Weyl semimetals with tilted energy dispersion

TL;DR

This paper studies electron tunneling in Weyl semimetals with tilted energy dispersion, revealing an anomalous angular dependence and a transverse momentum shift akin to Lorentz displacement, advancing understanding of their quantum transport properties.

Contribution

It uncovers the unique tunneling behavior caused by tilted dispersion in Weyl semimetals, highlighting the transverse momentum shift and its analogy to magnetic barrier effects.

Findings

Perfect transmission angles are shifted along the tilt direction.

Tilted dispersion causes a transverse momentum shift during tunneling.

The phenomenon is analogous to Lorentz displacement in magnetic barriers.

Abstract

Weyl semimetal is a recently discovered state of quantum matter, which generally possesses tilted energy dispersion. Here, we investigate the electron tunneling through a Weyl semimetal p-n-p junction. The angular dependence of electron tunneling exhibits an anomalous profile such that perfect transmission angles are shifted along the direction of the tilt. Coupling of the tilted dispersion and electrical potential within the barrier region gives rise to a transverse momentum shift, which is analogous to the transverse Lorentz displacement induced by magnetic barriers.