Optical evidence of surface state suppression in Bi based topological insulators

Abstract

A key challenge in condensed matter research is the optimization of topological insulator (TI) compounds for the study and future application of their unique surface states. Truly insulating bulk states would allow the exploitation of predicted surface state properties, such as protection from backscattering, dissipationless spin-polarized currents, and the emergence of novel particles. Towards this end, major progress was recently made with the introduction of highly resistive Bi${}_2$Te${}_2$Se, in which surface state conductance and quantum oscillations are observed at low temperatures. Nevertheless, an unresolved and pivotal question remains: while room temperature ARPES studies reveal clear evidence of TI surface states, their observation in transport experiments is limited to low temperatures. A better understanding of this surface state suppression at elevated temperatures is of fundamental interest, and crucial for pushing the boundary of device applications towards room-temperature operation. In this work, we simultaneously measure TI bulk and surface states via temperature dependent optical spectroscopy, in conjunction with transport and ARPES measurements. We find evidence of coherent surface state transport at low temperatures, and propose that phonon mediated coupling between bulk and surface states suppresses surface conductance as temperature rises.

arXiv comment13 pages, 10 figures

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• Evidence of surface transport and weak anti-localization in single crystal of Bi2Te2Se topological insulator
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• Local phonon mode in thermoelectric Bi2Te2Se from charge neutral antisites
• Gate-Variable Mid-Infrared Optical Transitions in a $(B{i}_{1-x}S{b}_x{)}_{2}T{e}_3$ Topological Insulator
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• Infrared electrodynamics and ferromagnetism in the topological semiconductors Bi${}_2$Te${}_3$ and Mn-doped Bi${}_2$Te${}_3$
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• Temperature dependence of the topological phase transition of BiTeI from first principles
• Doping-dependent charge dynamics in CuxBi2Se3
• Optical investigation of thermoelectric topological crystalline insulator Pb${}_{0.77}$Sn${}_{0.23}$Se
• Metallic Surface States Probed Within the Microwave Skin Depth of the Putative Topological Insulator YBiPt Compound
• Charge-stripe Fluctuations in Nd${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_8$ as Evidenced by Optical Spectroscopy
• Robust edge states induced by electron-phonon interaction in graphene nanoribbons
• Topological cutoff frequency in a slab waveguide: Penetration length in topological insulator walls
• Evidence for a New Excitation at the Interface Between a High-Tc Superconductor and a Topological Insulator
• Electronic and Vibrational Excitations on the Surface of the Three-Dimensional Topological Insulator Bi${}_2$Te${}_{3-x}$Se${}_x$ (x = 0, 2, 3)
• Fano q-reversal in topological insulator Bi2Se3
• Doping effects on charge density instability in non-centrosymmetric PbxTaSe2
• Dyadic Greens function for a topological insulator stratified sphere