Quantum Oscillation Signatures of Fermi Arcs in Tunnel Magnetoconductance

TL;DR

This paper predicts unique quantum-oscillation signatures in tunnel magnetoconductance caused by Fermi-arc surface states in Weyl semimetals, characterized by Aharonov-Bohm interference and strong field-angle anisotropy.

Contribution

It introduces a novel prediction of anomalous quantum-oscillation signatures specific to Fermi arcs in Weyl semimetals, highlighting their transport and interference properties.

Findings

Predicted oscillations due to Fermi-arc interference in tunnel magnetoconductance.

Identified strong field-angle anisotropy as a signature of Fermi-arc localization.

Distinguished these oscillations from conventional Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations.

Abstract

Fermi-arc surface states of Weyl semimetals exhibit a unique combination of localization to a surface and connectivity to the bulk Weyl fermions that can move along the localization direction. We predict anomalous quantum-oscillation signatures of Fermi arcs in the tunnel mangetoconductance across an interface between two Weyl semimetals. These oscillations stem from a momentum-space analog of Aharonov-Bohm interference of electrons moving along the interface Fermi arcs, driven by an external magnetic field normal to the interface. The Fermi arcs' connectivity to the bulk enables their characterization via transport normal to the interface, while their localization manifests in a strong field-angle anisotropy of the oscillations. This combination distinguishes these anomalous oscillations from conventional Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and makes them identifiable even in complex oscillation spectra of real materials.