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Title: Unconventional transformation of spin Dirac phase across a topological quantum phase transition

Abstract

The topology of a topological material can be encoded in its surface states. These surface states can only be removed by a bulk topological quantum phase transition into a trivial phase. Here we use photoemission spectroscopy to image the formation of protected surface states in a topological insulator as we chemically tune the system through a topological transition. Surprisingly, we discover an exotic spin-momentum locked, gapped surface state in the trivial phase that shares many important properties with the actual topological surface state in anticipation of the change of topology. Using a spin-resolved measurement, we show that apart from a surface bandgap these states develop spin textures similar to the topological surface states well before the transition. Our results provide a general paradigm for understanding how surface states in topological phases arise from a quantum phase transition and are suggestive for the future realization of Weyl arcs, condensed matter supersymmetry and other fascinating phenomena in the vicinity of a quantum criticality.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [1];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [1];  [8];  [5];  [1]
  1. Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ (United States)
  2. Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ (United States); Peking Univ., Beijing (China)
  3. Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)
  4. Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland); Ecole Polytechnique Fedeerale de Lausanne, Lausanne (Switzerland)
  5. Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA (United States)
  6. National Tsing Hua Univ., Hsinchu (Taiwan)
  7. National Tsing Hua Univ., Hsinchu (Taiwan); Academia Sinica, Taipei (Taiwan)
  8. National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1224062
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-07ER46352; AC03-76SF00098; AC03-76SF00515; FG02-05ER46200
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nature Communications
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; physical sciences; applied physics; condensed matter

Citation Formats

Xu, Su -Yang, Neupane, Madhab, Belopolski, Ilya, Liu, Chang, Alidoust, Nasser, Bian, Guang, Jia, Shuang, Landolt, Gabriel, Slomski, Batosz, Dil, J. Hugo, Shibayev, Pavel P., Basak, Susmita, Chang, Tay -Rong, Jeng, Horng -Tay, Cava, Robert J., Lin, Hsin, Bansil, Arun, and Hasan, M. Zahid. Unconventional transformation of spin Dirac phase across a topological quantum phase transition. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1038/ncomms7870.
Xu, Su -Yang, Neupane, Madhab, Belopolski, Ilya, Liu, Chang, Alidoust, Nasser, Bian, Guang, Jia, Shuang, Landolt, Gabriel, Slomski, Batosz, Dil, J. Hugo, Shibayev, Pavel P., Basak, Susmita, Chang, Tay -Rong, Jeng, Horng -Tay, Cava, Robert J., Lin, Hsin, Bansil, Arun, & Hasan, M. Zahid. Unconventional transformation of spin Dirac phase across a topological quantum phase transition. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7870
Xu, Su -Yang, Neupane, Madhab, Belopolski, Ilya, Liu, Chang, Alidoust, Nasser, Bian, Guang, Jia, Shuang, Landolt, Gabriel, Slomski, Batosz, Dil, J. Hugo, Shibayev, Pavel P., Basak, Susmita, Chang, Tay -Rong, Jeng, Horng -Tay, Cava, Robert J., Lin, Hsin, Bansil, Arun, and Hasan, M. Zahid. 2015. "Unconventional transformation of spin Dirac phase across a topological quantum phase transition". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7870. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1224062.
@article{osti_1224062,
title = {Unconventional transformation of spin Dirac phase across a topological quantum phase transition},
author = {Xu, Su -Yang and Neupane, Madhab and Belopolski, Ilya and Liu, Chang and Alidoust, Nasser and Bian, Guang and Jia, Shuang and Landolt, Gabriel and Slomski, Batosz and Dil, J. Hugo and Shibayev, Pavel P. and Basak, Susmita and Chang, Tay -Rong and Jeng, Horng -Tay and Cava, Robert J. and Lin, Hsin and Bansil, Arun and Hasan, M. Zahid},
abstractNote = {The topology of a topological material can be encoded in its surface states. These surface states can only be removed by a bulk topological quantum phase transition into a trivial phase. Here we use photoemission spectroscopy to image the formation of protected surface states in a topological insulator as we chemically tune the system through a topological transition. Surprisingly, we discover an exotic spin-momentum locked, gapped surface state in the trivial phase that shares many important properties with the actual topological surface state in anticipation of the change of topology. Using a spin-resolved measurement, we show that apart from a surface bandgap these states develop spin textures similar to the topological surface states well before the transition. Our results provide a general paradigm for understanding how surface states in topological phases arise from a quantum phase transition and are suggestive for the future realization of Weyl arcs, condensed matter supersymmetry and other fascinating phenomena in the vicinity of a quantum criticality.},
doi = {10.1038/ncomms7870},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1224062}, journal = {Nature Communications},
issn = {2041-1723},
number = ,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Apr 17 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Fri Apr 17 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

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Works referenced in this record:

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Low-carrier-concentration crystals of the topological insulator Bi 2 Te 2 Se
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Surface electronic structure of the topological Kondo-insulator candidate correlated electron system SmB6
journal, December 2013


Observation of possible topological in-gap surface states in the Kondo insulator SmB6 by photoemission
journal, December 2013


Widespread transient Hoogsteen base pairs in canonical duplex DNA with variable energetics
journal, September 2014


Spin and angle resolved photoemission on non-magnetic low-dimensional systems
journal, September 2009


Classification of Interacting Electronic Topological Insulators in Three Dimensions
journal, February 2014


Discovery of a Three-Dimensional Topological Dirac Semimetal, Na3Bi
journal, January 2014


Observation of Fermi arc surface states in a topological metal
journal, December 2014


Topological Kondo Insulators
journal, March 2016


Experimental Realization of a Three-Dimensional Dirac Semimetal
text, January 2013


Works referencing / citing this record:

Layered Topological Insulators and Semimetals for Magnetoresistance Type Sensors
journal, December 2018


Fermi-level-dependent charge-to-spin current conversion by Dirac surface states of topological insulators
journal, July 2016


Multiple topological states in iron-based superconductors
journal, September 2018


Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission on topological materials
journal, April 2019


Topological phase diagram and saddle point singularity in a tunable topological crystalline insulator
journal, August 2015


Intrinsic spin Hall conductivity in three-dimensional topological insulator/normal insulator heterostructures
journal, August 2017


Resolving the topological classification of bismuth with topological defects
journal, November 2019


Multiple topological states in iron-based superconductors
text, January 2018


Resolving the Topological Classification of Bismuth with Topological Defects
text, January 2019


Resolving the Topological Classification of Bismuth with Topological Defects
text, January 2019