Evidence of Topological Surface State in Three-Dimensional Dirac Semimetal Cd3As2

TL;DR

This paper provides experimental evidence of topological surface states in the 3D Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 through angle-resolved photoemission and band structure calculations, confirming its topologically non-trivial nature.

Contribution

First observation of topological surface states in Cd3As2, supporting its classification as a 3D Dirac semimetal with topologically protected surface features.

Findings

Identification of Dirac points near the Brillouin zone center

Observation of a topological surface state with linear dispersion

Good agreement between experimental data and theoretical calculations

Abstract

The three-dimensional topological semimetals represent a new quantum state of matter. Distinct from the surface state in the topological insulators that exhibits linear dispersion in two-dimensional momentum plane, the three-dimensional semimetals host bulk band dispersions linearly along all directions, forming discrete Dirac cones in three-dimensional momentum space. In addition to the gapless points (Weyl/Dirac nodes) in the bulk, the three-dimensional Weyl/Dirac semimetals are also characterized by "topologically protected" surface state with Fermi arcs on their specific surface. The Weyl/Dirac semimetals have attracted much attention recently they provide a venue not only to explore unique quantum phenomena but also to show potential applications. While Cd3As2 is proposed to be a viable candidate of a Dirac semimetal, more experimental evidence and theoretical investigation are necessary to pin down its nature. In particular, the topological surface state, the hallmark of the three-dimensional semimetal, has not been observed in Cd3As2. Here we report the electronic structure of Cd3As2 investigated by angle-resolved photoemission measurements on the (112) crystal surface and detailed band structure calculations. The measured Fermi surface and band structure show a good agreement with the band structure calculations with two bulk Dirac-like bands approaching the Fermi level and forming Dirac points near the Brillouin zone center. Moreover, the topological surface state with a linear dispersion approaching the Fermi level is identified for the first time. These results provide strong experimental evidence on the nature of topologically non-trivial three-dimensional Dirac cones in Cd3As2.