Observation of topological nodal fermion semimetal phase in ZrSiS

Abstract

The search for new topological phases of matter is a major new direction in condensed matter physics. Recent experimental realizations of Dirac and Weyl semimetal phases pave the way to look for other exotic phases of matter in real materials. In this paper, the authors present a systematic angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of ZrSiS, a potential topological nodal semimetal candidate. Their systematic measurements establish the spinless nodal fermion semimetal phase in ZrSiS, which is supported by their first-principles calculations. This work puts forward the ZrSiS-type material family as a new platform to explore exotic states of quantum matter.