Coexistence of Tunable Weyl Points and Topological Nodal Lines in Ternary Transition-Metal Telluride TaIrTe4

TL;DR

This study combines theory and experiments to reveal tunable Weyl points and nodal lines in TaIrTe4, demonstrating its potential as a versatile platform for topological state exploration and manipulation.

Contribution

It uncovers the coexistence and tunability of Weyl points and nodal lines in TaIrTe4, a novel topological material, through combined theoretical predictions and experimental validation.

Findings

Found 12 Weyl points and nodal lines in TaIrTe4.

External strain reduces Weyl points to four and switches nodal lines.

Validated topological features with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.

Abstract

We report a combined theoretical and experimental study on TaIrTe4, a potential candidate of the minimal model of type-II Weyl semimetals. Unexpectedly, an intriguing node structure with twelve Weyl points and a pair of nodal lines protected by mirror symmetry was found by first-principle calculations, with its complex signatures such as the topologically non-trivial band crossings and topologically trivial Fermi arcs cross-validated by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Through external strain, the number of Weyl points can be reduced to the theoretical minimum of four, and the appearance of the nodal lines can be switched between different mirror planes in momentum space. The coexistence of tunable Weyl points and nodal lines establishes ternary transition-metal tellurides as a unique test ground for topological state characterization and engineering.