Dominant Two-Dimensional Electron–Phonon Interactions in the Bulk Dirac Semimetal Na₃Bi

Abstract

Bulk Dirac semimetals (DSMs) exhibit unconventional transport properties and phase transitions due to their peculiar low-energy band structure, yet the electronic interactions governing nonequilibrium phenomena in DSMs are not fully understood. Here we show that electron–phonon (e–ph) interactions in a prototypical bulk DSM, Na3Bi, are predominantly two-dimensional (2D). Our first-principles calculations reveal a 2D optical phonon with strong e–ph interactions associated with in-plane vibrations of Na atoms. We show that this 2D mode governs e–ph scattering and charge transport in Na3Bi and induces a dynamical phase transition to a Weyl semimetal. Our work advances the quantitative analysis of electron interactions in Na3Bi and reveals a dominant low-dimensional interaction in a bulk Dirac semimetal.