Persistence of correlation-driven surface states in SmB6 under pressure

Autor: Soonbeom Seo, Yongkang Luo, S. M. Thomas, Z. Fisk, O. Erten, P. S. Riseborough, F. Ronning, J. D. Thompson, P. F. S. Rosa
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2207.08381
Popis: The proposed topological Kondo insulator SmB$_{6}$ hosts a bulk Kondo hybridization gap that stems from strong electronic correlations and a metallic surface state whose effective mass remains disputed. Thermopower and scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements argue for heavy surface states that also stem from strong correlations, whereas quantum oscillation and angle-resolved photoemission measurements reveal light effective masses that would be consistent with a Kondo breakdown scenario at the surface. Here we investigate the evolution of the surface state via electrical and thermoelectric transport measurements under hydrostatic pressure, a clean symmetry-preserving tuning parameter that suppresses the Kondo gap and increases the valence of Sm from 2.6+ towards a 3+ magnetic metallic state. Electrical resistivity measurements reveal that the surface carrier density increases with increasing pressure, whereas thermopower measurements show an unchanged Fermi energy under pressure. As a result, the effective mass of the surface state charge carriers linearly increases with pressure as the Sm valence approaches 3+. Our results are consistent with the presence of correlation-driven surface states in SmB$_{6}$ and suggest that the surface Kondo effect persists under pressure to 2 GPa.
Databáze: OpenAIRE