Quantum Topological Phases Arising from the Weyl-Kondo Semimetal model*

In this study, we investigated topological and quantum phases in strongly correlated electron systems using the Weyl-Kondo semimetal model, a nontrivial version of the periodic Anderson model for heavy fermion systems[1,2]. Our computational approach solved saddle-point equations and explored the model's parameter space. Results calculated order parameters of the heavy Landau Fermi liquid phase, providing insight into quantum state stability under varying parameters. We examined how the transition from topological semimetal to trivial insulator affects Kondo coupling between f-orbital and conduction electrons. We simulated varying spin-orbit coupling and other parameters on a noncentrosymmetric lattice, modeling the chemical substitution series Ce3Bi4(Pt1−xPdx)3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) from recent studies[3,4]. We observed a topological phase transition between Kondo insulator and Weyl-Kondo semimetal states by varying spin-orbit coupling, analyzing the critical point. Connecting computational findings with experiments provided a theoretical foundation for understanding topological metal emergence in strongly correlated systems. Our work feautures the interplay between many degrees of freedom (charge, spin, and orbital interactions) in shaping these exotic quantum phases, demonstrating the complex relationship between topology, strong correlations, and spin-orbit coupling in quantum materials.

[1] Weyl–kondo semimetal in heavy-fermion systems

H.-H Lai, S. E. Grefe, S. Paschenc, and Q. Si

PNAS.1715851115, (2017)

[2] Weyl-kondo semimetals in nonsymmorphic systems

S. Paschenc, S. E. Grefe, H.-H Lai and Q. Si

Phys.Rev.B.101.075138, (2020)

[3] Kondo insulator to semimetal transformation tuned by spin-orbit coupling

S. Dzsaber, L. Prochaska, A. Sidorenko, G. Eguchi,  R. Svagera, M. Waas, A. Prokofiev, Q. Si, and S. Paschen

Phys.Rev.B.101.075138, (2017)

[4] Ce3bi4ni3 – a large hybridization-gap variant of ce3bi4pt3

D. M. Kirschbaum, X. Yan , M. Waas, R. Svagera, A. Prokofiev , B. Stöger , G. Giester, P. Rogl ,D.-G. Oprea, C. Felser , R. Valentí, M. G. Vergniory , J. Custers , S. Paschen , and D. A. Zocco

Phys.Rev.Res.6.023242, (2024)