Optical study of the charge dynamics evolution in the topological insulators MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and Mn(Bi$_{0.74}$Sb$_{0.26}$)$_2$Te$_4$ under high pressure

TL;DR

This study investigates how high pressure affects charge dynamics in magnetic topological insulators MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and Mn(Bi$_{0.74}$Sb$_{0.26}$)$_2$Te$_4$, revealing potential electronic phase transitions and electron localization effects.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of pressure-induced changes in optical properties and charge dynamics in MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and its Sb-substituted variants, highlighting electronic phase transitions.

Findings

Weak anomalies in plasma frequency and conductivity at 2-4 GPa suggest phase transitions.

Pressure decreases the optical gap, indicating gap closing.

Unusual decrease in low-energy optical conductivity implies electron localization.

Abstract

The van der Waals material MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and the related Sb-substituted compounds Mn(Bi$_{1-x}$Sb$_x$)$_2$Te$_4$ are prominent members of the family of magnetic topological insulators, in which rare quantum mechanical states can be realized. In this work, we study the evolution of the charge dynamics in MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and the Sb-substituted compound Mn(Bi$_{1-x}$Sb$_x$)$_2$Te$_4$ with $x=0.26$ under hydrostatic pressure. For MnBi$_2$Te$_4$, the pressure dependence of the screened plasma frequency, the dc conductivity, and the reflectance at selected frequencies shows weak anomalies at $\sim$2 and $\sim$4~GPa, which might be related to an electronic phase transition driven by the enhanced interlayer interaction. We observe a pressure-induced decrease in the optical gap, consistent with the decrease in and closing of the energy gap reported in the literature. Both studied materials show an unusual decrease in the low-energy optical conductivity under pressure, which we attribute to a decreasing spectral weight of the Drude terms describing the free charge carrier excitations. Our results suggest a localization of conduction electrons under pressure, possibly due to hybridization effects.