Black Hole Horizon in a Type-III Dirac Semimetal Zn$_2$In$_2$S$_5$

TL;DR

This paper introduces Zn$_2$In$_2$S$_5$ as a novel type-III Dirac semimetal with unique topological features and proposes it as a platform to simulate black hole horizons and Hawking radiation in a condensed matter setting.

Contribution

It identifies Zn$_2$In$_2$S$_5$ as the first material exhibiting type-III Dirac fermions and proposes a solid-state analogue of black hole horizons using this material.

Findings

Zn$_2$In$_2$S$_5$ is a type-III Dirac semimetal with Dirac points and Fermi arcs.

The transition from type-I to type-II Dirac fermions can be viewed as a type-III Dirac fermion.

Proposes a black-hole-horizon analogue in inhomogeneous Zn$_2$In$_2$S$_5$.

Abstract

Recently, realizing new fermions, such as type-I and type-II Dirac/Weyl fermions in condensed matter systems, has attracted considerable attention. Here we show that the transition state from type-I to type-II Dirac fermions can be viewed as a type-III Dirac fermion, which exhibits unique characteristics, including a Dirac-line Fermi surface with nontrivial topological invariant and critical chiral anomaly effect, distinct from previously known Dirac semimetals. Most importantly, we discover Zn$_2$In$_2$S$_5$ is a type-III Dirac semimetal material, characterized with a pair of Dirac points in the bulk and Fermi arcs on the surface. We further propose a solid-state realization of the black-hole-horizon analogue in inhomogeneous Zn$_2$In$_2$S$_5$ to simulate black hole evaporation with high Hawking temperature. We envision that our findings will stimulate researchers to study novel physics of type-III Dirac fermions, as well as astronomical problems in a condensed matter analogue.