Observation of 3D acoustic quantum Hall states.

ABSTRACT

Quantum Hall effect, the quantized transport phenomenon of electrons under strong magnetic fields, remains one of the hottest research topics in condensed matter physics since its discovery in 2D electronic systems. Recently, as a great advance in the research of quantum Hall effects, the quantum Hall effect in 3D systems, despite its big challenge, has been achieved in the bulk ZrTe5 and Cd3As2 materials. Interestingly, Cd3As2 is a Weyl semimetal, and quantum Hall effect is hosted by the Fermi arc states on opposite surfaces via the Weyl nodes of the bulk, and induced by the unique edge states on the boundaries of the opposite surfaces. However, such intriguing edge state distribution has not yet been experimentally observed. Here, we aim to reveal experimentally the unusual edge states of Fermi arcs in acoustic Weyl system with the aid of pseudo-magnetic field. Benefiting from the macroscopic nature of acoustic crystals, the pseudo-magnetic field is introduced by elaborately designed the gradient on-site energy, and the edge states of Fermi arcs on the boundaries of the opposite surfaces are unambiguously demonstrated in experiments. Our system serves as an ideal and highly tunable platform to explore the Hall physics in 3D system, and has the potential in the application of new acoustic devices.