Node-line Dirac semimetal manipulated by Kondo mechanism in nonsymmorphic CePt$_2$Si$_2$

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that Kondo interactions and nonsymmorphic symmetries in CePt₂Si₂ create robust, manipulable Dirac node lines, revealing the interplay of strong correlations and topology in a real material.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism where Kondo physics and lattice symmetries generate and control interacting Dirac node lines in a strongly correlated material.

Findings

Kondo interaction induces a transition to a Kondo-coherent state at 80 K.

Interacting DNLs emerge below the coherence temperature with heavy-fermion bands.

Above 600 K, non-interacting DNLs are protected by nonsymmorphic symmetries.

Abstract

Dirac node lines (DNLs) are characterized by Dirac-type linear crossings between valence and conduction bands along one-dimensional node lines in the Brillouin zone (BZ). Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) usually shifts the degeneracy at the crossings thus destroys DNLs, and so far the reported DNLs in a few materials are non-interacting type, making the search for robust interacting DNLs in real materials appealing. Here, via first-principle calculations, we reveal that Kondo interaction together with nonsymmorphic lattice symmetries can drive a robust interacting DNLs in a Kondo semimetal CePt_2Si_2, and the feature of DNLs can be significantly manipulated by Kondo behavior in different temperature regions. Based on the density function theory combining dynamical mean-field theory (DFT+DMFT), we predict a transition to Kondo-coherent state at coherent temperature T_coh= 80 K upon cooling, verified by temperature dependence of Ce-4f self-energy, Kondo resonance peak, magnetic susceptibility and momentum-resolved spectral. Below T_coh, well-resolved narrow heavy-fermion bands emerge near the Fermi level, constructing clearly visualized interacting DNLs locating at the BZ boundary, in which the Dirac fermions have strongly enhanced effective mass and reduced velocity. In contrast, above a crossover temperature T_KS =600 K, the destruction of local Kondo screening drives non-interacting DNLs which are comprised by light conduction electrons at the same location. These DNLs are protected by lattice nonsymmorphic symmetries thus robust under intrinsic strong SOC. Our proposal of DNLs which can be significantly manipulated according to Kondo behavior provides an unique realization of interacting Dirac semimetals in real strongly correlated materials, and serves as a convenient platform to investigate the effect of electronic correlations on topological materials.