Fermi surface reconstruction due to the orthorhombic distortion in Dirac semimetal YbMnSb$_2$

TL;DR

This study reveals that orthorhombic distortion in YbMnSb$_2$ causes Fermi surface reconstruction, affecting its topological and magnetic properties, and highlights the material as a platform for exploring relativistic quasiparticles.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates the impact of orthorhombic distortion on the Fermi surface topology and magnetic order in YbMnSb$_2$, combining experimental and theoretical approaches.

Findings

YbMnSb$_2$ has an orthorhombic Pnma structure with magnetic Mn displacement.

Band folding occurs in the antiferromagnetic state, reducing carrier density.

Dirac-like Fermi pockets exhibit non-trivial quantum oscillations.

Abstract

Dirac semi-metal with magnetic atoms as constituents delivers an interesting platform to investigate the interplay of Fermi surface (FS) topology, electron correlation, and magnetism. One such family of semi-metal is YbMn$Pn_2$ ($Pn$ = Sb, Bi), which is being actively studied due to the intertwined spin and charge degrees of freedom. In this Letter, we investigate the relationship between the magnetic/crystal structures and FS topology of YbMnSb$_2$ using single crystal x-ray diffraction, neutron scattering, magnetic susceptibility, magnetotransport measurement and complimentary DFT calculation. Contrary to previous reports, the x-ray and neutron diffraction reveal that YbMnSb$_2$ crystallizes in an orthorhombic $Pnma$ structure with notable anti-phase displacement of the magnetic Mn ions that increases in magnitude upon cooling. First principles DFT calculation reveals a reduced Brillouin zone and more anisotropic FS of YbMnSb$_2$ compared to YbMnBi$_2$ as a result of the orthorhombicity. Moreover, the hole type carrier density drops by two orders of magnitude as YbMnSb$_2$ orders antiferromagnetically indicating band folding in magnetic ordered state. In addition, the Landau level fan diagram yields a non-trivial nature of the SdH quantum oscillation frequency arising from the Dirac-like Fermi pocket. These results imply that YbMnSb$_2$ is an ideal platform to explore the interplay of subtle lattice distortion, magnetic order, and topological transport arising from relativistic quasiparticles.