Spin-textures, Berry's phase and Quasiparticle Interference in Bi2Te3: A Topological Insulator with Warped Surface States

TL;DR

This paper investigates the warped surface states of Bi2Te3 topological insulators, examining their spin textures, Berry's phase, and quasiparticle interference, revealing how warping affects topological protection and electronic phenomena.

Contribution

It provides detailed spin-texture and warping maps of Bi2Te3, highlighting the impact of surface state distortion on topological properties and electronic interference.

Findings

Warped surface states lead to enhanced quasiparticle interference.

Surface warping affects Berry's phase and topological protection.

Distinct spin textures are mapped on Bi2Te3 surface.

Abstract

The energy-momentum relationship of electrons on the surface of an ideal "Hydrogen-Atom" Topological Insulator forms a cone - a Dirac cone, which, when warped and distorted (no longer described by the Dirac equation), can lead to unusual phenomena such as enhanced electronic interference around defects (observed in STM) and a magnetically ordered broken symmetry surface with lost topological protection. A detailed spin-texture and hexagonal warping maps on Bi2Te3 are presented in this context as a Viewpoint on L.Fu, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{103}, 266801 (2009).