Weyl semi-metal is the three dimensional analog of graphene. According to the quantum field theory, the appearance of Weyl points near the Fermi level will cause novel transport phenomena related to chiral anomaly. In the present paper, we report the first experimental evidence for the long-anticipated negative magneto-resistance generated by the chiral anomaly in a newly predicted time-reversal invariant Weyl semi-metal material TaAs. Clear Shubnikov de Haas oscillations (SdH) have been detected starting from very weak magnetic field. Analysis of the SdH peaks gives the Berry phase accumulated along the cyclotron orbits to be π, indicating the existence of Weyl points.When two non-degenerate bands cross in three dimensional momentum space, the crossing points are called Weyl points, which can be viewed as magnetic monopoles(1) or topological defects (2) in band structure, like "knots" on a rope. Near Weyl points, the low energy physics can be described by Weyl equations (3) with distinct chirality (either left-or right-handed), which mimics the relativistic field theory in particle physics. On lattice system, Weyl points always appear in pairs with opposite chirality and are topologically stable against perturbations that keep translational symmetry (4-7). If two weyl points with opposite chirality meet in the momentum space, they will generally annihilate each other, but may also be stabilized as 3D Dirac points by additional (such as crystalline) symmetry (8-11). For materials withWeyl points located near the Fermi level, called as Weyl semi-metals (WSMs), exotic low energy physics will be expected, such as the Fermi arcs on the surfaces (5,6), and the chiral-anomaly induced quantum transport (12)(13)(14)(15). Recently, 3D Dirac semimetals, Na 3 Bi and Cd 3 As 2 , have been theoretically predicted (9,10) and experimentally confirmed (16)(17)(18)(19)(20), while WSM are still waiting for its experimental verification in spite of various theoretical proposals (5,6,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25).The anomalous DC transport properties are important consequence of the topological band structure (14,26,27). In topological insulators (TI), the transport properties are dominated by the topological surfaces states (SS), where the lack of back scattering caused by the unique spin structure of the SS leads to the weak anti-localization (WAL) behavior. While in Weyl semi-metals, the bulk states are semi-metallic and dominate the DC transport. In relativistic field theory, for a continue system described by Weyl equation, chiral anomaly can be understood as the non-conservation of the particle number with given chirality, which only happens under the presence of

Understanding many physical processes in the solar atmosphere requires determination of the magnetic field in each atmospheric layer. However, direct measurements of the magnetic field in the Sun’s corona are difficult to obtain. Using observations with the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter, we have determined the spatial distribution of the plasma density in the corona and the phase speed of the prevailing transverse magnetohydrodynamic waves within the plasma. We combined these measurements to map the plane-of-sky component of the global coronal magnetic field. The derived field strengths in the corona, from 1.05 to 1.35 solar radii, are mostly 1 to 4 gauss. Our results demonstrate the capability of imaging spectroscopy in coronal magnetic field diagnostics.

A novel layered SnSSe material is designed as a high-performance anode for sodium-ion batteries with characteristics of high capacity, superior cyclability, facile synthetic method, and large-scale production ability. The transformation from bulk SnSSe particles into closely packed nanoplate aggregates with greater resistance to structure pulverization and the partial pseudocapacitive capacity contribution may engender excellent cycling performance and rate capability.

Highly oriented PPy nanotubes are grown by in situ vapor phase polymerization within a nanoscale template under low temperature. As-fabricated PPy nanotubes are used for gas sensing, where an ultralow detection limit (0.05 ppb) and very fast response are achieved. Such an in situ mass-productive method for synthesizing highly oriented conducting polymers may pave a new step toward next-generation gas sensors.

The propagation direction and true velocity of a solar coronal mass ejection, which are among the most decisive factors for its geo-effectiveness, are difficult to determine through single-perspective imaging observations. Here we show that Sun-as-a-star spectroscopic observations, together with imaging observations, could allow us to solve this problem. Using observations of the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we found clear blueshifted secondary emission components in extreme-ultraviolet spectral lines during a solar eruption on 2021 October 28. From simultaneous imaging observations, we found that the secondary components are caused by a mass ejection from the flare site. We estimated the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity of the ejecta from both the double Gaussian fitting method and the red-blue asymmetry analysis. The results of both methods agree well with each other, giving an average LOS velocity of the plasma of ∼423 km s−1. From the 304 Å image series taken by the Extreme ultraviolet Imager onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relation Observatory-A (STEREO-A) spacecraft, we estimated the plane-of-sky velocity from the STEREO-A viewpoint to be around 587 km s−1. The full velocity of the bulk motion of the ejecta was then computed by combining the imaging and spectroscopic observations, which turns out to be around 596 km s−1 with an angle of 42.°4 to the west of the Sun–Earth line and 16.°0 south to the ecliptic plane.

Measurements of the magnetic field in the stellar coronae are extremely difficult. Recently, it was proposed that the magnetic-field-induced transition (MIT) of the Fe x 257 Å line can be used to measure the coronal magnetic field of the Sun. We performed forward modeling with a series of global stellar magnetohydrodynamics models to investigate the possibility of extending this method to other late-type stars. We first synthesized the emissions of several Fe x lines for each stellar model, then calculated the magnetic field strengths using the intensity ratios of Fe x 257 Å to several other Fe x lines based on the MIT theory. Finally, we compared the derived field strengths with those in the models, and concluded that this method can be used to measure at least the magnetic field strengths at the coronal bases of stars with a mean surface magnetic flux density about one order of magnitude higher than that of the Sun. Our investigation suggests the need for an extreme ultraviolet spectrometer to perform routine measurements of the stellar coronal magnetic field.

It was recently proposed that the intensity ratios of several extreme ultraviolet spectral lines from Fe x ions can be used to measure the solar coronal magnetic field based on magnetic-field-induced transition (MIT) theory. To verify the suitability of this method, we performed forward modeling with a three-dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamic model of a solar active region. Intensities of several spectral lines from Fe x were synthesized from the model. Based on MIT theory, the intensity ratios of the MIT line Fe x 257 Å to several other Fe x lines were used to derive magnetic-field strengths, which were then compared with the field strengths in the model. We also developed a new method to simultaneously estimate the coronal density and temperature from the Fe x 174/175 and 184/345 Å line ratios. Using these estimates, we demonstrated that the MIT technique can provide reasonably accurate measurements of the coronal magnetic field in both on-disk and off-limb solar observations. Our investigation suggests that a spectrometer that can simultaneously observe the Fe x 174, 175, 184, 257, and 345 Å lines and allow an accurate radiometric calibration for these lines is highly desired to achieve reliable measurements of the coronal magnetic field. We have also evaluated the impact of the uncertainty in the Fe x 3p4 3d 4D5/2 and 4D7/2 energy difference on the magnetic-field measurements.

There is a long-standing confusion concerning the physical origin of the anomalous resistivity peak in transition metal pentatelluride HfTe5. Several mechanisms, such as the formation of charge density wave or polaron, have been proposed, but so far no conclusive evidence has been presented. In this work, we investigate the unusual temperature dependence of magneto-transport properties in HfTe5. It is found that a three-dimensional topological Dirac semimetal state emerges only at around Tp (at which the resistivity shows a pronounced peak), as manifested by a large negative magnetoresistance. This accidental Dirac semimetal state mediates the topological quantum phase transition between the two distinct weak and strong topological insulator phases in HfTe5. Our work not only provides the first evidence of a temperature-induced critical topological phase transition in HfTe5 but also gives a reasonable explanation on the long-lasting question.