Signatures of non-trivial band topology in LaAs/LaBi heterostructure

TL;DR

This paper explores the topological properties of a LaAs/LaBi heterostructure, revealing non-trivial band topology, surface Dirac cones, and electron-hole compensation, indicating potential for extreme magnetoresistance applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of non-trivial topological features and electron-hole compensation in a LaAs/LaBi heterostructure using density functional theory.

Findings

Presence of bulk band inversion and Dirac surface states.

Nearly compensated electron and hole densities.

Potential suitability for extreme magnetoresistance studies.

Abstract

In this article, we investigate non-trivial topological features in a heterostructure of extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) materials LaAs and LaBi using density functional theory (DFT). The proposed heterostructure is found to be dynamically stable and shows bulk band inversion with non-trivial Z_{2} topological invariant and a Dirac cone at the surface. In addition, its electron and hole carrier densities ratio is also calculated to investigate the possibility to possess XMR effect. Electrons and holes in the heterostructure are found to be nearly compensated, thereby facilitating it to be a suitable candidate for XMR studies.