Electron-phonon Coupling and Kohn Anomaly due to the Floating 2D Electronic Bands on the Surface of ZrSiS

TL;DR

This study uncovers a significant Kohn anomaly in ZrSiS surface phonons caused by interactions with floating 2D electrons, highlighting strong electron-phonon coupling relevant for topological semimetal applications.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental observation and theoretical analysis of electron-phonon interactions involving surface 2D electrons in ZrSiS.

Findings

Observation of a prominent Kohn anomaly in surface phonons

Quantitative evaluation of electron-phonon coupling strength

Theoretical modeling aligning with experimental data

Abstract

ZrSiS, an intriguing candidate of topological nodal line semimetals, was discovered to have exotic surface floating two-dimensional (2D) electrons [Phys. Rev. X 7, 041073 (2017)], which are likely to interact with surface phonons. Here, we reveal a prominent Kohn anomaly in a surface phonon branch by mapping out the surface phonon dispersions of ZrSiS using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. Theoretical analysis via an electron-phonon coupling (EPC) model attributes the strong renormalization of the surface phonon branch to the interactions with the surface floating 2D electrons. With the random phase approximation, we calculate the phonon self-energy and evaluate the mode-specific EPC constant by fitting the experimental data. The EPC picture provided here may be important for potential applications of topological nodal line semimetals.