Ultrafast electron dynamics at the Dirac node of the topological insulator Sb2Te3

TL;DR

This paper studies the behavior of electrons near a special point in a material called Sb2Te3, which could help in developing new spintronic devices.

Contribution

The study reveals ultrafast electron dynamics at the Dirac node in Sb2Te3 with a completely unoccupied Dirac point above the Fermi energy.

Findings

Excited electrons in the upper Dirac cone of Sb2Te3 have longer lifetimes than those below the Dirac point.

The reduced density of states near the Dirac point explains the observed inverted population of electrons.

Abstract

Topological insulators (TIs) are a new quantum state of matter. Their surfaces and interfaces act as a topological boundary to generate massless Dirac fermions with spin-helical textures. Investigation of fermion dynamics near the Dirac point (DP) is crucial for the future development of spintronic devices incorporating topological insulators. However, research so far has been unsatisfactory because of a substantial overlap with the bulk valence band and a lack of a completely unoccupied DP. Here, we explore the surface Dirac fermion dynamics in the TI Sb2Te3 by time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (TrARPES). Sb2Te3 has an in-gap DP located completely above the Fermi energy (EF). The excited electrons in the upper Dirac cone stay longer than those below the DP to form an inverted population. This was attributed to a reduced density of states (DOS) near the DP.

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