Temperature dependence of the energy band gap in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi>ZrTe</mml:mi><mml:mn>5</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math>: Implications for the topological phase

Abstract

Recently, zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe${}_{5}$) has received a lot of attention, both theoretical and experimental. In spite of this, no consensus has been established so far about the basic nature of the electronic states in ZrTe${}_{5}$ with regard to whether this material is a strong or weak topological insulator. Here, the authors use Landau-level spectroscopy to deduce the temperature dependence of the energy band gap in ZrTe${}_{5}$. The observed behavior -- a monotonic increase with $T$ -- implies, when confronted with theoretical expectations, that ZrTe${}_{5}$ is a weak topological insulator.

Topics & Concepts