Predicted Realization of Cubic Dirac Fermion in Quasi-One-Dimensional Transition-Metal Monochalcogenides

• Main Authors: Qihang Liu, Alex Zunger
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Physical Society 2017-05-01
• Series: Physical Review X
• Online Access: http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.7.021019

We show that the previously predicted “cubic Dirac fermion,” composed of six conventional Weyl fermions including three with left-handed and three with right-handed chirality, is realized in a specific, stable solid state system that has been made years ago, but was not appreciated as a “cubically dispersed Dirac semimetal” (CDSM). We identify the crystal symmetry constraints and find the space group P6_{3}/m as one of the two that can support a CDSM, of which the characteristic band crossing has linear dispersion along the principle axis but cubic dispersion in the plane perpendicular to it. We then conduct a material search using density functional theory, identifying a group of quasi-one-dimensional molybdenum monochalcogenide compounds A^{I}(MoX^{VI})_{3} (A^{I}=Na, K, Rb, In, Tl; X^{VI}=S, Se, Te) as ideal CDSM candidates. Studying the stability of the A(MoX)_{3} family reveals a few candidates such as Rb(MoTe)_{3} and Tl(MoTe)_{3} that are predicted to be resilient to Peierls distortion, thus retaining the metallic character. Furthermore, the combination of one dimensionality and metallic nature in this family provides a platform for unusual optical signature—polarization-dependent metallic vs insulating response.