Magnetic and defect probes of the SmB₆ surface state.

ABSTRACT: The impact of nonmagnetic and magnetic impurities on topological insulators is a central focus concerning their fundamental physics and possible spintronics and quantum computing applications. Combining scanning tunneling spectroscopy with transport measurements, we investigate, both locally and globally, the effect of nonmagnetic and magnetic substituents in SmB₆, a predicted topological Kondo insulator. Around the so-introduced substitutents and in accord with theoretical predictions, the surface states are locally suppressed with different length scales depending on the substituent's magnetic properties. For sufficiently high substituent concentrations, these states are globally destroyed. Similarly, using a magnetic tip in tunneling spectroscopy also resulted in largely supp

SUBMITTER: Jiao L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6226282 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature