Three dimensional topological insulators embody a newly discovered state of matter characterized by conducting spin-momentum locked surface states that span the bulk band gap as demonstrated via spin-resolved ARPES measurements . This highly unusual surface environment provides a rich ground for the discovery of novel physical phenomena. Here we present the first controlled study of the topological insulator surfaces under strong Coulomb, magnetic and disorder perturbations. We have used interaction of iron, with a large Coulomb state and significant magnetic moment as a probe to \textit{systematically test the robustness} of the topological surface states of the model topological insulator Bi2Se3. We observe that strong perturbation leads to the creation of odd multiples of Dirac fermions and that magnetic interactions break time reversal symmetry in the presence of band hybridization. We also present a theoretical model to account for the altered surface of Bi2Se3. Taken collectively, these results are a critical guide in manipulating topological surfaces for probing fundamental physics or developing device applications.
@article{arxiv.1103.3411,
title = {A topological insulator surface under strong Coulomb, magnetic and disorder perturbations},
author = {L. Andrew Wray and Su-Yang Xu and Yuqi Xia and David Hsieh and Alexei V. Fedorov and Hsin Lin and Arun Bansil and Yew San Hor and Robert J. Cava and M. Zahid Hasan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1103.3411},
year = {2012}
}
Comments
14 pages, 4 Figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1009.6216