Intrinsic coupling between spatially-separated surface Fermi-arcs in Weyl orbit quantum Hall states

Authors
S. Nishihaya, M. Uchida, Y. Nakazawa, M. Kriener, Y. Taguchi, and M. Kawasaki

Abstract

Topological semimetals hosting bulk Weyl points and surface Fermi-arc states are expected to realize unconventional Weyl orbits, which interconnect two surface Fermi-arc states on opposite sample surfaces under magnetic fields. While the presence of Weyl orbits has been proposed to play a vital role in recent observations of the quantum Hall effect even in three-dimensional topological semimetals, actual spatial distribution of the quantized surface transport has been experimentally elusive. Here, we demonstrate intrinsic coupling between two spatially-separated surface states in the Weyl orbits by measuring a dual-gate device of a Dirac semimetal film. Independent scans of top- and back-gate voltages reveal concomitant modulation of doubly-degenerate quantum Hall states, which is not possible in conventional surface orbits as in topological insulators. Our results evidencing the unique spatial distribution of Weyl orbits provide new opportunities for controlling the novel quantized transport by various means such as external fields and interface engineering.

Nature Communications : https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22904-8