Quasiparticle interference of the Fermi arcs and surface-bulk connectivity of a Weyl semimetal

Sinking into the bulk of a Weyl semimetal A recently discovered class of topological materials, Weyl semimetals, have surface states in the form of so-called Fermi arcs. Inoue et al. used a high-resolution scanning tunneling microscope to explore the properties of these states in the material TaAs. They mapped the scattering of electrons off impurities on the surface of the material and compared the data to the predictions of density functional theory. The data could be reconciled with the theory only if electrons associated with Ta orbitals on the Fermi arcs sank into the bulk of the material. Science , this issue p. 1184