Berry paramagnetism in the Dirac semimetal ZrTe₅

Dirac matters have attracted a lot of interest due to their unique band structure with linear band dispersions, which have great potential for technological applications. Recently, three-dimensional Dirac and Weyl semimetals have invoked distinctive phenomena originating from a non-trivial Berry phase. In this study, we prepare single crystals of TixZr1−xTe5 with a highly anisotropic Fermi surface. Our detailed electrical transport measurements reveal that the crystals show the Lifshitz transition, and Ti doping induces a band shift. Further quantum oscillation analyses demonstrate that the TixZr1−xTe5 crystals are 3D Dirac semimetals. Additionally, we observed a minimum temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, which is close to a peak position of electrical resistivity. This observation is interpreted in terms of the Berry paramagnetism. Our finding paves the way to determine a band topology by magnetism and also provides a platform to apply the Berry magnetism to Dirac semimetals.

Sanghyun Ji, Sang-Eon Lee, Myung-Hwa Jung