Transport and thermodynamic properties of topological semimetal candidate RPdBi (R:rare earth)*

The search for topologically non-trivial surface states, involving topologically protected gapless states on the boundary, is one of the central activities in the search for new quantum states of matter. Resent theoretical studies have indicated that the ternary half-Heusler system RPdBi (R:rare earth) can involve strong band inversion due to spin-orbit coupling, leading to the topologically non-trivial state. To clarify possible topological aspects of these materials, we report the characterization of single-crystal samples of RPdBi by transport and thermodynamic measurements down to very low temperatures.