Abstract
Topological insulators support metallic surface states whose existence is protected by the bulk band structure. It was predicted early that the topology of the surface-state Fermi contour should depend on several factors, such as the surface orientation and termination, and this raises the question to what degree a given surface state is protected by the bulk electronic structure upon structural changes. Using tight-binding calculations, we explore this question for the prototypical topological insulator , studying different terminations of the (111) and (110) surfaces. We also consider the implications of the topological protection for (110) surfaces for the semimetals Bi and Sb.
- Received 12 January 2014
- Revised 18 February 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.125402
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