Topological superconductors as characterized by Majorana surface states has been actively searched for their significance in fundamental science and technological implication. The large spin-orbit coupling in Bi-Pd binaries has stimulated extensive investigations on the topological surface states in these superconducting compounds. Here we report a study of normal-state electronic structure in a centrosymmetric α-PdBi2 within density functional theory calculations. By investigating the electronic structure from the bulk to slab geometries in this system, we predict for the first time that α-PdBi2 can host orbital-dependent and asymmetric Rashba surface states near the Fermi energy. This study suggests that α-PdBi2 will be a good candidate to explore the relationship between superconductivity and topology in condensed matter physics.
@article{arxiv.1704.03445,
title = {Low-Energy Surface States in the Normal State of $\alpha$-PdBi2 Superconductor},
author = {Hongchul Choi and Madhab Neupane and T. Sasagawa and Elbert E. M. Chia and Jian-Xin Zhu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1704.03445},
year = {2017}
}