Spin-orbit interaction driven collective electron-hole excitations in a noncentrosymmetric nodal loop Weyl semimetal

Abstract

NbP is one member of a new class of nodal loop semimetals characterized by the cooperative effects of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and a lack of inversion center. Here transport and spectroscopic properties of NbP are evaluated using density functional theory methods. SOC together with the lack of inversion symmetry splits degeneracies, giving rise to "Russian doll nested" Fermi surfaces containing 4 x 10(-4) electron (hole) carriers/f.u. Due to the modest SOC strength in Nb, the Fermi surfaces map out the Weyl nodal loops. Calculated structure around T* approximate to 100 K in transport properties reproduces well the observed transport behavior only when SOC is included, attesting to the precision of the (delicate) calculations and the stoichiometry of the samples. Low-energy collective electron-hole excitations (plasmons) in the 20-60 meV range result from the nodal loop splitting.