Dirac points of electron energy spectrum, band-contact lines, and electron topological transitions of 3 1/2 kind in three-dimensional metals

Abstract

In many of three-dimensional metals with the inversion symmetry and a weak spin-orbit interaction, Dirac points of the electron energy spectrum form band-contact lines in the Brillouin zones of these crystals, and electron topological transitions of 3 1/2 kind are due to certain points of these lines. We theoretically study these transitions in detail, and point out that they can be detected with the magnetic susceptibility which exhibits a giant diamagnetic anomaly at the 3 1/2 -order transitions.