Observation of 1D Fermi arc states in Weyl semimetal TaAs

Abstract

Abstract Fermi arcs on Weyl semimetals exhibit many exotic quantum phenomena. Usually considered on atomically-flat surfaces with approximate translation symmetry, Fermi arcs are rooted in peculiar topology of bulk Bloch bands of three-dimensional (3D) crystals. The fundamental question of whether a 1D Fermi arc can be probed remains unanswered. Such answer could significantly broaden potential applications of Weyl semimetals. Here, we report a direct observation of robust edge states on atomic-scale ledges in TaAs using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. Spectroscopic signatures and theoretical calculations reveal that the 1D Fermi arcs arise from the chiral Weyl points of bulk crystal. The crossover from 2D Fermi arcs to eventual complete localization on 1D edges was arrested experimentally on a sequence of surfaces. Our results demonstrate extreme robustness of the bulk-boundary correspondence, which offers topological protection for Fermi arcs, even in cases in which the boundaries are down to atomic-scale. The persistent 1D Fermi arcs can be profitably exploited in miniaturized quantum devices.