Double Band Inversion in $\alpha$-Sn: Appearance of Topological Surface States and the Role of Orbital Composition

Abstract

The electronic structure of \graySn(001) thin films strained compressively in-plane was studied both experimentally and theoretically. A new topological surface state (TSS) located entirely within the gapless projected bulk bands is revealed by \textit{ab initio}-based tight-binding calculations as well as directly accessed by soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission. The topological character of this state, which is a surface resonance, is confirmed by unravelling the band inversion and by calculating the topological invariants. In agreement with experiment, electronic structure calculations show the maximum density of states in the subsurface region, while the already established TSS near the Fermi level is strongly localized at the surface. Such varied behavior is explained by the differences in orbital composition between the specific TSS and its associated bulk states, respectively. This provides an orbital protection mechanism for topological states against mixing with the background of bulk bands.

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• Growth and Magnetotransport in Thin Film α-Sn on CdTe
• Tailoring the topological surface state in ultrathin $\alpha$-Sn (111) films
• Thermal Stability Enhancement in Epitaxial α-Sn Films by Strain Engineering
• Structural and electronic properties of the pure and stable elemental 3D topological Dirac semimetal $\alpha$-Sn
• First Principles Assessment of CdTe as a Tunnel Barrier at the $\alpha$-Sn/InSb Interface
• Revisiting the physical origin and nature of surface states in inverted-band semiconductors
• 3D Topological Semimetal Phases of Strained $\alpha$-Sn on Insulating Substrate
• The anomalous spin texture as the probe for interactions in $B{i}_{2-y}S{b}_{y}S{e}_{x}T{e}_{3-x}$
• Non-orthogonal Spin-Momentum Locking
• Non-trivial topological valence bands of common diamond and zinc-blende semiconductors
• Elemental topological Dirac semimetal α-Sn with high quantum mobility