Quantum oscillations of the magnetic torque in the nodal-line Dirac semimetal ZrSiS

We report a study of quantum oscillations (QO) in the magnetic torque of the nodal-line Dirac semimetal ZrSiS in the magnetic fields up to 35 T and the temperature range from 40 K down to 2 K, enabling high resolution mapping of the Fermi surface (FS) topology in the k(z) = pi (Z-R-A) plane of the first Brillouin zone (FBZ). It is found that the oscillatory part of the measured magnetic torque signal consists of low frequency (LF) contributions (frequencies up to 1000 T) and high frequency (HF) contributions (several clusters of frequencies from 7-22 kT). Increased resolution and angle-resolved measurements allow us to show that the high oscillation frequencies originate from magnetic breakdown (MB) orbits involving clusters of individual alpha hole and beta electron pockets from the diamond shaped FS in the Z-R-A plane. Analyzing the HF oscillations we unequivocally show that the QO frequency from the dog-bone shaped Fermi pocket (beta pocket) amounts beta = 591(15) T. Our findings suggest that most of the frequencies in the LF part of QO can also be explained by MB orbits when intraband tunneling in the dog-bone-shaped beta electron pocket is taken into account. Our results give a new understanding of the novel properties of the FS of the nodal-line Dirac semimetal ZrSiS and sister compounds.

Automated summary

Our study on quantum oscillations in the nodal-line Dirac semimetal ZrSiS reveals contributions from both low frequency and high frequency oscillations, with detailed analysis showing the origins of different oscillation frequencies and their relationship to the Fermi surface topology. The high resolution mapping of the Fermi surface in different magnetic fields and temperatures provides new insights into the novel properties of ZrSiS and related compounds.