Anisotropic Berry phase in the Dirac nodal-line semimetal ZrSiS: The effect of spin-orbit coupling

TL;DR

This study reveals how the anisotropic Berry phase in ZrSiS, a nodal-line semimetal, is influenced by spin-orbit coupling, affecting quantum oscillations and transport properties.

Contribution

It demonstrates the orientation-dependent Berry phase in ZrSiS due to spin-orbit coupling, highlighting the role of nodal-line dispersion in quantum transport.

Findings

Berry phase depends on magnetic field orientation

Finite spin-orbit coupling gap affects quantum oscillations

Nodal-line dispersion influences topological transport

Abstract

The topological nodal-line semimetals (NLSMs) possess a loop of Dirac nodes in the k space with linear dispersion, different from the point nodes in Dirac/Weyl semimetals. While the quantum transport associated with the topologically nontrivial Dirac fermions has been investigated extensively, features uniquely associated with the extended nodal lines remain to be demonstrated. Here, we investigate the quantum oscillations (QOs) in the nodal-line semimetal ZrSiS, with the electron transport along the c axis, and magnetic field rotating in the ab plane. The extremal orbits identified through the field orientation dependence of the QOs interlock with the nodal line, leading to a nonzero Berry phase. Most importantly, the Berry phase shows a significant dependence on the magnetic field orientation, which we argue to be due to the finite spin-orbit coupling gap. Our results demonstrate the importance of the spin-orbit coupling and the nodal-line dispersion in understanding the quantum transport of NLSMs.