Electronic structure, Dirac points and Fermi arc surface states in three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Na_3Bi from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

The three-dimensional（3D） Dirac semimetals have linearly dispersive 3D Dirac nodes where the conduction band and valence band are connected. They have isolated 3D Dirac nodes in the whole Brillouin zone and can be viewed as a 3D counterpart of graphene. Recent theoretical calculations and experimental results indicate that the 3D Dirac semimetal state can be realized in a simple stoichiometric compound A3Bi（A = Na, K, Rb）. Here we report comprehensive high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission（ARPES） measurements on the two cleaved surfaces,（001） and（100）, of Na3Bi. On the（001） surface, by comparison with theoretical calculations, we provide a proper assignment of the observed bands, and in particular, pinpoint the band that is responsible for the formation of the three-dimensional Dirac cones. We observe clear evidence of 3D Dirac cones in the three-dimensional momentum space by directly measuring on the kx–ky plane and by varying the photon energy to get access to different out-of-plane kzs. In addition, we reveal new features around the Brillouin zone corners that may be related with surface reconstruction. On the（100） surface, our ARPES measurements over a large momentum space raise an issue on the selection of the basic Brillouin zone in the（100） plane. We directly observe two isolated 3D Dirac nodes on the（100） surface. We observe the signature of the Fermi-arc surface states connecting the two 3D Dirac nodes that extend to a binding energy of ~150 me V before merging into the bulk band. Our observations constitute strong evidence on the existence of the Dirac semimetal state in Na3Bi that are consistent with previous theoretical and experimental work. In addition, our results provide new information to clarify on the nature of the band that forms the3 D Dirac cones, on the possible formation of surface reconstruction of the（001） surface, and on the issue of basic Brillouin zone selection for the（100） surface.

Electrical-Controlled Transport for Surface States in a Dirac Semimetal Quantum Wire

The transport properties of a Dirac semimet^l quantum wire with two side gates are theoretically studied by adopting the lattice Green function method. It is found that a residual conductance quantum contributed from the surface states can be switched on or off by tuning the electron energy or the side gates voltage. This ideal switching effect for the surface Dirac electron results from the transversal quantum confinement of the quantum wire in combination with the electrostatic potential induced by the side gates. These findings may provide useful guidance for designing all-electrical topological nanoelectronic devices.

Ferromagnetic-insulators-modulated transport properties on the surface of a topological insulator

Transport properties on the surface of a topological insulator （TI） under the modulation of a two-dimensional （2D） ferromagnet/ferromagnet junction are investigated by the method of wave function matching. The single ferromagnetic barrier modulated transmission probability is expected to be a periodic function of the polarization angle and the planar rotation angle, that decreases with the strength of the magnetic proximity exchange increasing. However, the transmission probability for the double ferromagnetic insulators modulated n-n junction and n-p junction is not a periodic function of polarization angle nor planar rotation angle, owing to the combined effects of the double ferromagnetic insulators and the barrier potential. Since the energy gap between the conduction band and the valence band is narrowed and widened respectively in ranges of 0 ≤ 0 〈π/2 and r/2 〈 0 ≤ π, the transmission probability of the n-n junction first increases rapidly and then decreases slowly with the increase of the magnetic proximity exchange strength. While the transmission probability for the n-p junction demonstrates an opposite trend on the strength of the magnetic proximity exchange because the band gaps contrarily vary. The obtained results may lead to the possible realization of a magnetic/electric switch based on TIs and be useful in further understanding the surface states of TIs.

Quantum oscillations and nontrivial transport in (Bi0.92In0.08)2Se3

Quantum phase transition in topological insulators has drawn heightened attention in condensed matter physics and future device applications. Here we report the magnetotransport properties of single crystalline （Bi0.92In0.08）2Se3. The average mobility of^1000 cm2·V-1·s-1 is obtained from the Lorentz law at the low field （〈 3 T） up to 50 K. The quantum oscillations rise at a field of^5 T, revealing a high mobility of^1.4×104 cm2·V-1·s-1 at 2 K. The Dirac surface state is evident by the nontrivial Berry phase in the Landau-Fan diagram. The properties make the （Bi0.92In0.08）2Se3 a promising platform for the investigation of quantum phase transition in topological insulators.