Quantum Imaging of Topologically Unpaired Spin-Polarized Dirac Fermions

Autor:	Gomes, Kenjiro K., Ko, Wonhee, Mar, Warren, Chen, Yulin, Shen, Zhi-Xun, Manoharan, Hari C.
Rok vydání:	2009
Předmět:	Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons
Druh dokumentu:	Working Paper
Popis:	The motion of a relativistic particle is linked to its spin by the Dirac equation. Remarkably, electrons in two-dimensional materials can mimic such Dirac particles but must always appear in pairs of opposite spin chirality. Using topological ideas of chiral boundary electrons wrapping a three-dimensional crystal with tuned spin-orbit coupling, we show that elusive unpaired Dirac fermions exist on the surface of a topological insulator parent matrix, pure antimony. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy we image coherent quantum interference between these particles, map their helical spin texture, and ultimately observe a transition to a single Dirac fermion distinguished by backscattering suppression via Berry phase interference. The robust dynamics of these unique spin-polarized carriers envisage future applications in spintronics and topological quantum computation. Comment: Updated from original (copy of earlier journal submission) to include references and context to latest published and posted experiments involving STM and ARPES
Databáze:	arXiv
Externí odkaz:	http://arxiv.org/abs/0909.0921 Zobrazit plný text záznamu View this record from Arxiv