Transitions from Composite Fermi Liquid to Moore-Read States in Weyl Semimetals

TL;DR

This paper explores the emergence and transitions of exotic quantum states like composite Fermi liquids and Moore-Read states in Weyl semimetals under magnetic fields, revealing tunable phase changes linked to Weyl point separation.

Contribution

It demonstrates the coexistence and transitions of composite Fermi liquid, Moore-Read states, and charge density waves in Weyl semimetals, highlighting a new tunable pathway via magnetic field orientation.

Findings

Existence of composite Fermi liquid, Moore-Read states, and charge density waves in Weyl semimetals.

Transitions between these states can be controlled by adjusting Weyl point separation.

Magnetic field direction tuning induces phase transitions, offering experimental accessibility.

Abstract

Weyl semimetals represent a significant class of topological gapless materials in three dimensions and have been shown to exhibit three-dimensional quantum Hall effect. However, existing research mainly focuses on scenarios without interactions. Recent studies suggest that the fractional quantum Hall effect can arise in a Weyl semimetal with a one-third filled Landau level under a magnetic field. However, it remains unclear whether more exotic states, such as composite Fermi liquid and MooreRead states, can appear at half filling. Here we surprisingly find the existence of composite Fermi liquid, Moore-Read states and charge density waves in the same Weyl-orbit-based Landau level of a Weyl semimetal and their transitions induced by varying the distance between Weyl points. We attribute these transitions to a significant change in the single-particle wave functions of the Landau level as the distance between Weyl points is varied. Finally, we demonstrate that a transition from composite Fermi liquid to Moore-Read states can be induced by tuning the direction of a magnetic field, a process that is more experimentally accessible.