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arXiv · 1711.10760

Tuning topological surface magnetism by bulk alloying

N. Klier·S. Sharma·O. Pankratov·S. Shallcross
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Abstract

Deploying an analytical atomistic model of the bulk band structure of the IV-VI semiconductors we connect the spin structure of the topological surface state to the crystal field and spin orbit coupling parameters of the bulk material. While the Dirac-Weyl (or equivalently, Rashba) type topological surface state is often assumed universal, we show that the physics of the surface state is strikingly non-universal. To see this explicitly we calculate the RKKY interaction, which may be viewed as a probe of this surface state spin structure, finding its \emph{qualitative form} depends on the values the bulk spin-orbit and crystal field parameters take. This opens the way to tune the spin interaction on the surface of a IV-VI topological insulator by, for instance varying the composition of the IV-VI ternary compounds, as well as highlighting the importance of the connection between bulk and surface physics in topological insulators.

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N. Klier, S. Sharma, O. Pankratov, S. Shallcross. 2017-11-29. Tuning topological surface magnetism by bulk alloying. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.100.075130

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