An STM perspective on hexaborides: Surface states of the Kondo insulator SmB$_6$

TL;DR

This paper reviews the use of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy to investigate the surface states and properties of the topological Kondo insulator SmB$_6$, highlighting recent progress and challenges in understanding its electronic structure.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of STM studies on hexaborides, especially SmB$_6$, emphasizing the insights gained into its surface states and topological nature.

Findings

STM reveals detailed surface state structures of SmB$_6$

Challenges in STM measurements on hexaborides are discussed

Progress in understanding SmB$_6$'s topological properties is summarized

Abstract

Compounds within the hexaboride class of materials exhibit a wide variety of interesting physical phenomena, including polaron formation and quadrupolar order. In particular, SmB$_6$ has recently drawn attention as it is considered a prototypical topological Kondo insulator. Evidence in favor of this concept, however, has proven experimentally difficult and controversial, partly because of the required temperatures and energy resolution. Here, a powerful tool is Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) with its unique ability to give local, microscopic information that directly relates to the one-particle Green's function. Yet, STM on hexaborides is met with its own set of challenges. This article attempts to review the progress in STM investigations on hexaborides, with emphasis on SmB$_6$ and its intriguing properties.