Vector Optical Activity in the Weyl Semimetal TaAs

Abstract

It is shown that the Weyl semimetal TaAs can have a significant polar vector contribution to its optical activity. This is quantified by ab initio calculations of the resonant x-ray diffraction at the Ta L1 edge. For the Bragg vector (400), this polar vector contribution to the circular intensity differential between left and right polarized x-rays is predicted to be comparable to that arising from linear dichroism. Implications this result has in regards to optical effects predicted for topological Weyl semimetals are discussed.