Single crystal synthesis and low-lying electronic structure of V$_3$S$_4$

TL;DR

This study reports the synthesis of high-quality single crystals of V$_3$S$_4$ and investigates its electronic structure, revealing type-II Dirac-like quasiparticles and the impact of spin-orbit coupling on its topological properties.

Contribution

It provides the first successful growth of V$_3$S$_4$ single crystals and combines experimental and theoretical analysis to uncover its topological electronic features.

Findings

V$_3$S$_4$ hosts type-II Dirac-like quasiparticles

Spin-orbit coupling opens a sizable gap in the electronic structure

Relativistic effects significantly modify topological properties

Abstract

We report successful growth of millimeter-sized high quality single crystals of V$_3$S$_4$, a candidate topological semimetal belonging to a low-symmetry space group and consisting of only low atomic number elements. Using density functional theory calculations and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we show that the nonmagnetic phase of monoclinic V$_3$S$_4$ hosts type-II Dirac-like quasiparticles which opens a sizable gap due to spin orbit coupling, as well as theoretical multiple nodal lines that are eliminated also by spin orbit coupling. These results suggest that relativistic effects give rise to profound modifications of the topological properties even in compounds with low-weight elements.