Symmetry invariants and classes of quasiparticles in magnetically ordered systems having weak spin-orbit coupling

Symmetry invariants of a group specify the classes of quasiparticles, namely the classes of projective irreducible co-representations in systems having that symmetry. More symmetry invariants exist in discrete point groups than the full rotation group O(3), leading to new quasiparticles restricted to lattices that do not have any counterpart in a vacuum. We focus on the fermionic quasiparticle excitations under "spin-space group" symmetries, applicable to materials where long-range magnetic order and itinerant electrons coexist. We provide a list of 218 classes of new quasiparticles that can only be realized in the spin-space groups. These quasiparticles have at least one of the following properties that are qualitatively distinct from those discovered in magnetic space group(MSG)s, and distinct from each other:(i) degree of degeneracy,(ii) dispersion as function of momentum, and(iii) rules of coupling to external probe fields. We rigorously prove this result as a theorem that directly relates these properties to the symmetry invariants, and then illustrate this theorem with a concrete example, by comparing three 12-fold fermions having different sets of symmetry invariants including one discovered in MSG. Our approach can be generalized to realize more quasiparticles whose little co-groups are beyond those considered in our work.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2024-11-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53862-6
Citations
24
Primary Topic
Topological Materials and Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
8.10

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Symmetry invariants and classes of quasiparticles in magnetically ordered systems having weak spin-orbit coupling

Chen Fang, Zheng-Xin Liu, Jian Yang
24 citations
Nature Communications
Topological Materials and Phenomena
8.10
article

Symmetry invariants and classes of quasiparticles in magnetically ordered systems having weak spin-orbit coupling

Chen Fang, Zheng-Xin Liu, Jian Yang
article en
24 citations

Abstract

Symmetry invariants of a group specify the classes of quasiparticles, namely the classes of projective irreducible co-representations in systems having that symmetry. More symmetry invariants exist in discrete point groups than the full rotation group O(3), leading to new quasiparticles restricted to lattices that do not have any counterpart in a vacuum. We focus on the fermionic quasiparticle excitations under "spin-space group" symmetries, applicable to materials where long-range magnetic order and itinerant electrons coexist. We provide a list of 218 classes of new quasiparticles that can only be realized in the spin-space groups. These quasiparticles have at least one of the following properties that are qualitatively distinct from those discovered in magnetic space group(MSG)s, and distinct from each other:(i) degree of degeneracy,(ii) dispersion as function of momentum, and(iii) rules of coupling to external probe fields. We rigorously prove this result as a theorem that directly relates these properties to the symmetry invariants, and then illustrate this theorem with a concrete example, by comparing three 12-fold fermions having different sets of symmetry invariants including one discovered in MSG. Our approach can be generalized to realize more quasiparticles whose little co-groups are beyond those considered in our work.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 15(1)
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Kavli Institute for Theoretical Sciences (CN), FZU ‒ Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CZ), Institute of Physics (CN), National Laboratory for Superconductivity (CN), Renmin University of China (CN)
National Science Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Topological Materials and Phenomena
8.10
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.