Field-Tunable One-Sided Higher-Order Topological Hinge States in Dirac Semimetals

Recently, higher-order topological matter and 3D quantum Hall effects have attracted a great amount of attention. The Fermi-arc mechanism of the 3D quantum Hall effect proposed to exist in Weyl semimetals is characterized by the one-sided hinge states, which do not exist in all the previous quantum Hall systems, and more importantly, pose a realistic example of the higher-order topological matter. The experimental effort so far is in the Dirac semimetal Cd₃As₂, where, however, time-reversal symmetry leads to hinge states on both sides of the top and bottom surfaces, instead of the aspired one-sided hinge states. We propose that under a tilted magnetic field, the hinge states in Cd₃As₂-like Dirac semimetals can be one sided, highly tunable by field direction and Fermi energy, and robust against weak disorder. Furthermore, we propose a scanning tunneling Hall measurement to detect the one-sided hinge states. Our results will be insightful for exploring not only the quantum Hall effects beyond two dimensions, but also other higher-order topological insulators in the future.