- Letter
Axion insulator, Weyl points, quantum anomalous Hall effect, and magnetic topological phase transition in
Phys. Rev. B 111, L041117 – Published 29 January, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.111.L041117
Abstract
The magnetic topological phases attract much interest, such as the axion insulator, higher-order topology, Weyl semimetals, and the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE). Here, we predict that the axion insulator phase, magnetic Weyl points, and QAHE can be achieved in . Recently, single-crystal was successfully synthesized, and it exhibits an antiferromagnetic (AFM) ground state. Our first-principles calculations show that it lies on the phase boundary between multiple magnetic topological phases, and the magnetic anisotropy is weak, with an energy difference less than 1 meV. In the AFM state, it can be tuned to an axion insulator by tensile strain. The quantized axion angle and the magnetic higher-order topology are characterized by the parity index . By applying an external magnetic field, the induced ferromagnetic (FM) state becomes an ideal magnetic topological semimetal with a single pair of Weyl points or a nodal ring. The QAHE can be achieved in FM multilayer films of on a magnetic insulating substrate.