Tuning the spin texture in binary and ternary surface alloys on Ag(111)

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the spin texture in binary and ternary surface alloys on Ag(111) can be tuned by altering alloy composition, affecting spin splitting and electronic structure, using advanced spectroscopic techniques.

Contribution

It demonstrates the continuous evolution of the band structure in mixed Bi/Sb and Bi/Pb/Sb alloys on Ag(111), highlighting tunability of spin properties.

Findings

Continuous evolution of band structure with alloy composition

Tunable spin splitting and Fermi level positioning

Effective manipulation of spin texture in surface alloys

Abstract

Recently, a giant spin splitting has been observed in surface alloys on noble metal (111) surfaces as a result of a strong structural modification at the surface as well as the large atomic spin-orbit interaction (SOI) of the alloy atoms. These surface alloys are an ideal playground to manipulate both the size of the spin splitting as well as the position of the Fermi level as it is possible to change the atomic SOI as well as the relaxation by varying alloy atoms and substrates. Using spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy in combination with quantitative low energy electron diffraction we have studied the mixed binary Bi(x)Sb(1-x)/Ag(111) and the mixed ternary Bi(x)Pb(y)Sb(1-x-y)/Ag(111) surface alloys where we observed a continuous evolution of the band structure with x and y.