Contributor info: Dr Snehasish Nandy

Supriyo Ghosh, Ambaresh Sahoo, Snehasish Nandy

SciPost Phys. 15, 133 (2023) · published 4 October 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

Motivated by the recent proposal of giant Kerr rotation in WSMs, we investigate the Kerr and Faraday rotations in time-reversal broken multi-Weyl semimetals (mWSMs) in the absence of an external magnetic field. Using the framework of Kubo response theory, we find that both the longitudinal and transverse components of the optical conductivity in mWSMs are modified by the topological charge ($n$). Engendered by the optical Hall conductivity, we show in the thin film limit that, while the giant Kerr rotation and corresponding ellipticity are independent of $n$, the Faraday rotation and its ellipticity angle scale as $n$ and $n^2$, respectively. In contrast, the polarization rotation in semi-infinite mWSMs is dominated by the axion field showing $n$ dependence. In particular, the magnitude of Kerr (Faraday) angle decreases (increases) with increasing $n$ in Faraday geometry, whereas in Voigt geometry, it depicts different $n$-dependencies in different frequency regimes. The obtained results on the behavior of polarization rotations in mWSMs could be used in experiments as a probe to distinguish single, double, and triple WSMs, as well as discriminate the surfaces of mWSMs with and without hosting Fermi arcs.

S. Nandy, D. A. Pesin

SciPost Phys. 12, 120 (2022) · published 7 April 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

We develop a symmetry-based low-energy theory for monolayer $\mathrm{WTe}_2$ in its 1T$^{\prime}$ phase, which includes eight bands (four orbitals, two spins). This model reduces to the conventional four-band spin-degenerate Dirac model near the Dirac points of the material. We show that measurements of the spin susceptibility, and of the magnitude and time dependence of the anomalous Hall conductivity induced by injected or equilibrium spin polarization can be used to determine the magnitude and form of the spin-orbit coupling Hamiltonian, as well as the dimensionless tilt of the Dirac bands.