Rare-earth monopnictides: Family of antiferromagnets hosting magnetic Fermi arcs

Since the discovery of topological insulators a great deal of research effort has been devoted to magnetic topological materials, in which nontrivial spin properties can be controlled by magnetic fields, culminating in a wealth of fundamental phenomena and possible applications. The main focus was on ferromagnetic materials that can host Weyl fermions and therefore spin-textured Fermi arcs. The recent discovery of Fermi arcs and new magnetic band splitting in the antiferromagnet (AFM) NdBi has opened up new avenues for exploration. Here we show that these uncharted effects are not restricted to this specific compound, but also emerge in CeBi and NdSb when they undergo paramagnetic to AFM transition. Our data show that the Fermi arcs in NdSb have twofold symmetry, leading to strong anisotropy that may enhance effects of spin textures on transport properties. Our findings thus demonstrate that the RBi and RSb series are materials that host magnetic Fermi arcs and may be a potential platform for modern spintronics.

Automated summary

Since the discovery of topological insulators, there has been a significant amount of research on magnetic topological materials, where spin properties can be controlled by magnetic fields. Recent findings of Fermi arcs and magnetic band splitting in antiferromagnetic materials have opened up new exploration opportunities. These effects are not limited to specific compounds, but also occur in other materials. One of these materials shows strong anisotropy, potentially enhancing the effects of spin textures on transport properties. These findings suggest that these materials could be a potential platform for modern spintronics.