New type of Weyl semimetal with quadratic double Weyl fermions
Significance We predict a new Weyl semimetal candidate. This is critically needed for this rapidly developing field as TaAs is the only known Weyl semimetal in nature. We show that SrSi2 has many new and novel properties not possible in TaAs. Our prediction provides a new route to studying the elusive Weyl fermion particles originally considered in high energy physics by tabletop experiments. Weyl semimetals have attracted worldwide attention due to their wide range of exotic properties predicted in theories. The experimental realization had remained elusive for a long time despite much effort. Very recently, the first Weyl semimetal has been discovered in an inversion breaking, stoichiometric solid TaAs. So far, the TaAs class remains the only Weyl semimetal available in real materials. To facilitate the transition of Weyl semimetals from the realm of purely theoretical interest to the realm of experimental studies and device applications, it is of crucial importance to identify other robust candidates that are experimentally feasible to be realized. In this paper, we propose such a Weyl semimetal candidate in an inversion breaking, stoichiometric compound strontium silicide, SrSi2, with many new and novel properties that are distinct from TaAs. We show that SrSi2 is a Weyl semimetal even without spin orbit coupling and that, after the inclusion of spin orbit coupling, two Weyl fermions stick together forming an exotic double Weyl fermion with quadratic dispersions and a higher chiral charge of 2. Moreover, we find that the Weyl nodes with opposite charges are located at different energies due to the absence of mirror symmetry in SrSi2, paving the way for the realization of the chiral magnetic effect. Our systematic results not only identify a much needed robust Weyl semimetal candidate but also open the door to new topological Weyl physics that is not possible in TaAs.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences