Electron scattering by magnetic impurity in Weyl semimetals

Abstract

Weyl semimetals are prominent examples of topologically protected quantum matter. These materials are the three-dimensional counterparts of graphene and great efforts are being devoted to achieve a thorough understanding of their fundamental physics. In this work, we aim at contributing to this end by discussing the effect of a single magnetic impurity in Weyl semimetals as a first step towards considering a larger number of impurities. We find that resonances appear in the local density of states with a Friedel-like behaviour, oscillating as a function of distance. By studying the spin-resolved local density of states, we can observe non-trivial and anisotropic spin textures where the spin components perpendicular to the spin of the impurity wind around the latter, until the spin becomes completely parallel to the impurity right at the interface. Friedel oscillations also play a relevant role in the form of the spin textures, forming an oscillatory pattern. We believe our results can pave the way to further studies which consider the presence of a large number of random magnetic impurities.