Systematic Investigation of the Coupling between One-Dimensional Edge States of a Topological Crystalline Insulator

Johannes Jung, Artem Odobesko, Robin Boshuis, Andrzej Szczerbakow, Tomasz Story, and Matthias Bode
Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 236402 – Published 11 June 2021
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Abstract

The interaction of spin-polarized one-dimensional (1D) topological edge modes localized along single-atomic steps of the topological crystalline insulator Pb0.7Sn0.3Se(001) has been studied systematically by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. Our results reveal that the coupling of adjacent edge modes sets in at a step-to-step distance dss25nm, resulting in a characteristic splitting of a single peak at the Dirac point in tunneling spectra. Whereas the energy splitting exponentially increases with decreasing dss for single-atomic steps running almost parallel, we find no splitting for single-atomic step edges under an angle of 90°. The results are discussed in terms of overlapping wave functions with px, py orbital character.

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  • Received 15 February 2021
  • Accepted 18 May 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.236402

© 2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Johannes Jung1, Artem Odobesko1,*, Robin Boshuis1, Andrzej Szczerbakow2, Tomasz Story2,3, and Matthias Bode1

  • 1Physikalisches Institut, Experimentelle Physik II, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
  • 2Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
  • 3International Research Centre MagTop, Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotnikow 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland

  • *Corresponding author. artem.odobesko@physik.uni-wuerzburg.de

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Issue

Vol. 126, Iss. 23 — 11 June 2021

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