Spin-polarized (001) surface states of the topological crystalline insulator Pb0.73Sn0.27Se

Summary, in English

We study the nature of (001) surface states in Pb0.73Sn0.27Se in the newly discovered topological-crystalline-insulator (TCI) phase as well as the corresponding topologically trivial state above the band-gap-inversion temperature. Our calculations predict not only metallic surface states with a nontrivial chiral spin structure for the TCI case, but also nonmetallic (gapped) surface states with nonzero spin polarization when the system is a normal insulator. For both phases, angle- and spin-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy measurements provide conclusive evidence for the formation of these (001) surface states in Pb0.73Sn0.27Se, as well as for their chiral spin structure. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.115106

• Author: B. M. Wojek; R. Buczko; S. Safaei; P. Dziawa; B. J. Kowalski; M. H. Berntsen; Balasubramanian Thiagarajan; Mats Leandersson; A. Szczerbakow; P. Kacman; T. Story; O. Tjernberg
• Department/s: MAX IV Laboratory
• Publishing year: 2013
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Physical Review B (Condensed Matter and Materials Physics)
• Volume: 87
• Issue: 11
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.115106
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Topic: Physical Sciences; Natural Sciences
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1098-0121