Angle-resolved photoemission study of NbGeSb with non-symmorphic symmetry

We investigate the electronic structure of NbGeSb with non-symmorphic symmetry.We employ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES)to observe and identify the bulk and surface states over the Brillouin zone.By utilizing high-energy photons,we identify the bulk Fermi surface and bulk nodal line along the direction X–R,while the Fermi surface of the surface state is observed by using low-energy photons.We observe the splitting of surface bands away from the high-symmetry point X.The density functional theory calculations on bulk and 1 to 5-layer slab models,as well as spin textures of NbGeSb,verify that the band splitting could be attributed to the Rashba-like spin–orbit coupling caused by space-inversion-symmetry breaking at the surface.These splitted surface bands cross with each other,forming two-dimensional Weyl-like crossings that are protected by mirror symmetry.Our findings provide insights into the two-dimensional topological and symmetry-protected band inversion of surface states.

Optical manipulation of the topological phase in ZrTe_(5) revealed by time-and angle-resolved photoemission

High-resolution time-and angle-resolved photoemission measurements were conducted on the topological insulator ZrTe_(5).With strong femtosecond photoexcitation,a possible ultrafast phase transition from a weak to a strong topological insulating phase was experimentally realized by recovering the energy gap inversion in a time scale that was shorter than 0.15 ps.This photoinduced transient strong topological phase can last longer than 2 ps at the highest excitation fluence studied,and it cannot be attributed to the photoinduced heating of electrons or modification of the conduction band filling.Additionally,the measured unoccupied electronic states are consistent with the first-principles calculation based on experimental crystal lattice constants,which favor a strong topological insulating phase.These findings provide new insights into the longstanding controversy about the strong and weak topological properties in ZrTe_(5),and they suggest that many-body effects including electron–electron interactions must be taken into account to understand the equilibrium weak topological insulating phase in ZrTe_(5).

Flat band in hole-doped transition metal dichalcogenide observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDCs)gained widespread attention because of their electron-correlationrelated physics,such as charge density wave(CDW),superconductivity,etc.In this paper,we report the high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES)studies on the electronic structure of Ti-doped 1T-Ti_(x)Ta_(1-x)S_(2) with different doping levels.We observe a flat band that originates from the formation of the star of David super-cell at the x=5%sample at the low temperature.With the increasing Ti doping levels,the flat band vanishes in the x=8%sample due to the extra hole carrier.We also find the band shift and variation of the CDW gap caused by the Ti-doping.Meanwhile,the band folding positions and the CDW vector g_(CDW)intact.Our ARPES results suggest that the localized flat band and the correlation effect in the 1T-TMDCs could be tuned by changing the filling factor through the doping electron or hole carriers.The Ti-doped 1T-Ti_(x)Ta_(1-x)S_(2) provides a platform to fine-tune the electronic structure evolution and a new insight into the strongly correlated physics in the TMDC materials.

Different angle-resolved polarization configurations of Raman spectroscopy: A case on the basal and edge plane of two-dimensional materials

Angle-resolved polarized Raman（ARPR） spectroscopy can be utilized to assign the Raman modes based on crystal symmetry and Raman selection rules and also to characterize the crystallographic orientation of anisotropic materials.However, polarized Raman measurements can be implemented by several different configurations and thus lead to different results. In this work, we systematically analyze three typical polarization configurations： 1） to change the polarization of the incident laser, 2） to rotate the sample, and 3） to set a half-wave plate in the common optical path of incident laser and scattered Raman signal to simultaneously vary their polarization directions. We provide a general approach of polarization analysis on the Raman intensity under the three polarization configurations and demonstrate that the latter two cases are equivalent to each other. Because the basal plane of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite（HOPG） exhibits isotropic feature and its edge plane is highly anisotropic, HOPG can be treated as a modelling system to study ARPR spectroscopy of twodimensional materials on their basal and edge planes. Therefore, we verify the ARPR behaviors of HOPG on its basal and edge planes at three different polarization configurations. The orientation direction of HOPG edge plane can be accurately determined by the angle-resolved polarization-dependent G mode intensity without rotating sample, which shows potential application for orientation determination of other anisotropic and vertically standing two-dimensional materials and other materials.

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study on iron-based superconductors

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy （ARPES） has played an important role in determining the band structure and the superconducting gap structure of iron-based superconductors. In this paper, from the ARPES perspective, we briefly review the main results from our group in recent years on the iron-based superconductors and their parent compounds, and depict our current understanding on the antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in these materials.

Common Electronic Features and Electronic Nematicity in Parent Compounds of Iron-Based Superconductors and FeSe/SrTiO_3 Films Revealed by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

We report comprehensive angle-resolved photoemission investigations on the electronic structures and nematicity of the parent compounds of the iron-based superconductors including CeFeAsO, BaFe2As2, NaFeAs, FeSe and undoped FeSe/SrTiO3 films with 1, 2 and 20 layers. While the electronic structure near tile Brillouin zone center F varies dramatically among different materials, the electronic structure near the Brillouin zone corners （M points）, as well as their temperature dependence, are rather similar. The electronic structure near the zone corners is dominated by the electronic nematicity that gives rise to a band splitting of the dxz and dyz bands below the nematie transition temperature. A clear relation is observed between the band splitting magnitude arid the onset temperature of nematicity. Our results may shed light on the origin of nematicity, its effect on the electronic structures, and its relation with superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors.

Identification of Topological Surface State in PdTe2 Superconductor by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements are carried out on transition metal dichalcogenide PdTe2 that is a superconductor with a Tc at 1.7K. Combined with theoretical calculations, we discover for the first time the existence of topologically nontrivial surface state with Dirac cone in PbTe2 superconductor. It is located at the Brillouin zone center and possesses helical spin texture. Distinct from the usual three-dimensional topological insulators where the Dirac cone of the surface state lies at the Fermi level, the Dirac point of the surface state in PdTe2 lies deeply below the Fermi level at - 1.75 eV binding energy and is well separated from the bulk states. The identification of topological surface state in PdTe2 superconductor deeply below the Fermi level provides a unique system to explore new phenomena and properties and opens a door for finding new topological materials in transition metal ehalcogenides.

Hybridization Effects Revealed by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy in Heavy-Fermion Ce2IrIn8

We utilize high-resolution resonant angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES)to study the band structure and hybridization effect of the heavy-fermion compound Ce2 IrIn8.We observe a nearly flat band at the binding energy of 7 meV below the coherent temperature Tcoh^40 K,which characterizes the electrical resistance maximum and indicates the onset temperature of hybridization.However,the Fermi vector and the Fermi surface volume have little change around Tcoh,which challenges the widely believed evolution from a hightemperature small Fermi surface to a low-temperature large Fermi surface.Our experimental results of the band structure fit well with the density functional theory plus dynamic mean-field theory calculations.

Growth of High-Quality Superconducting FeSe0.5Te0.5 Thin Films Suitable for Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Measurements via Pulsed Laser Deposition

High-quality superconducting FeSe0.5 Te0.5 films are epitaxiMly grown on different substrates by using the pulsed laser deposition method. By measuring the transport properties and surface morphology of films grown on single- crystal substrates of Al2O3 （0001）, SrTiO3 （001）, and MgO （001）, as well as monitoring the real-time growth process on MgO substrates with reflection high energy electron diffraction, we find the appropriate parameters for epitaxial growth of high-quality FeSe0.5 Te0.5 thin films suitable for angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements. We further report the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy characterization of the super- conducting films. The clearly resolved Fermi surfaces and the band structure suggest a sample quality that is as good as that of high-quality single-crystals, demonstrating that the pulsed laser deposition method can serve as a promising technique for in situ preparation and manipulation of iron-based superconducting thin films, which may bring new prosperity to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy research on iron-based superconductors.

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission study of oxygen adsorbed Fe/MgO(001)

We have investigated the electronic states of clean Fe(001) and oxygen adsorbed Fe(001)–p(1 × 1)-O films epitaxially grown on MgO(001) substrates by means of polarization-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES)and extensive density-functional theory(DFT) calculations. The observed Fermi surfaces and band dispersions of pure Fe near the Fermi level were modified upon oxygen adsorption. By the detailed comparison of ARPES and DFT results of the oxygen adsorbed Fe surface, we have clarified the orbital-dependent p–d hybridization in the topmost and second Fe layers.Furthermore, the observed energy levels and Fermi wave numbers for the oxygen adsorbed Fe surface were deviated from the DFT calculations depending on the orbital characters and momentum directions, indicating an anisotropic interplay of the electron correlation and p–d hybridization effects in the surface region.

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission study of large magnetoresistance topological semimetal CaAl4

Extremely large magnetoresistance(XMR)has been explored in many nonmagnetic topologically nontrivial/trivial semimetals,while it is experimentally ambiguous which mechanism should be responsible in a specific material due to the complex electronic structures.In this paper,the magnetoresistance origin of single crystal CaAl4 with C2/m structure at low temperature is investigated,exhibiting unsaturated magnetoresistance of~3000%at 2.5 K and 14 T as the fingerprints of XMR materials.By the combination of ARPES and the first-principles calculations,we elaborate multiband features and anisotropic Fermi surfaces,which can explain the mismatch of isotropic two-band model.Although the structural phase transition from I4/mmm to C2/m has been recognized,the subtle impact on electronic structure is revealed by our ARPES measurements.Considering that both charge compensation and potential topologically nontrivial band structure exist in CaAl4,our findings report CaAl4 as a new reference material for exploring the XMR phenomena.

Detailed electronic structure of three-dimensional Fermi surface and its sensitivity to charge density wave transition in ZrTe3 revealed by high resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

The detailed information of the electronic structure is the key to understanding the nature of charge density wave （CDW） order and its relationship with superconducting order in the microscopic level. In this paper, we present a high resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy （ARPES） study on the three-dimensional （3D） hole-like Fermi surface around the Brillouin zone center in a prototypical quasi-one-dimensional CDW and superconducting system ZrTe3. Double Fermi surface sheets are clearly resolved for the 3D hole-like Fermi surface around the zone center. The 3D Fermi surface shows a pronounced shrinking with increasing temperature. In particular, the quasiparticle scattering rate along the 3D Fermi surface experiences an anomaly near the charge density wave transition temperature of ZrTe3 - 63 K）. The signature of electron-phonon coupling is observed with a dispersion kink at -20 meV; the strength of the electron-phonon coupling around the 3D Fermi surface is rather weak. These results indicate that the 3D Fermi surface is also closely connected to the charge-density-wave transition and suggest a more global impact on the entire electronic structure induced by the CDW phase transition in ZrTe3.

Angle-Resolved Electron Spectra of F^- Ions by Few-Cycle Laser Pulses

The above-threshold detachment of F- ions induced by a linearly polarized few-cycle laser pulse is investigated theoretically using the strong-field approximation model without considering the rescattering mechanism. We first derive an analytical form of transition amplitude for describing the strong-field photodetachment of F- ions. The integration over time in transition amplitude can be performed using the numerical integration method or the saddle-point （SP） method of Shearer et al. [Phys. Rev. A 88 （2013） 033415]. The validity of the SP method is carefully examined by comparing the energy spectra and photoelectron angular distributions （PADs） with those obtained from the numerical integration method. By considering the volume effect of a focused laser beam, both the energy spectra and the low-energy PADs calculated by the numerical integration method agree very well with the experimental results.

Evidence of Electron-Hole Imbalance in WTe2 from High-Resolution Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

WTe2 has attracted a great deal of attention because it exhibits extremely large and non-saturating magnetore- sistance. The underlying origin of such a giant magnetoresistance is still under debate. Utilizing laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with high energy and momentum resolutions, we reveal the complete electronic structure of WTe2. This makes it possible to determine accurately the electron and hole concentrations and their temperature dependence. We find that, with increasing the temperature, the overall electron concen- tration increases while the total hole concentration decreases. It indicates that the electron-hole compensation, if it exists, can only occur in a narrow temperature range,and in most of the temperature range there is an electron-hole imbalance. Our results are not consistent with the perfect electron-hole compensation picture that is commonly considered to be the cause of the unusual magnetoresistance in WTe2. We identify a fiat band near the Brillouin zone center that is close to the Fermi level and exhibits a pronounced temperature dependence. Such a fiat band can play an important role in dictating the transport properties of WTe2. Our results provide new insight on understanding the origin of the unusual magnetoresistance in WTe2.

Angle-Resolved and Resonant Photoemission Study of the Valence Bands of α-La(0001) on W(110)

We report a photoelectron spectroscopic study of the valence bands of double hexagonal-close-packed (dhcp) α-La(0001) films epitaxially grown on W(110) at room temperature. The La 5d photoemission cross section in the photon energy region from 20 eV to 130 eV was obtained and the valence-band structure of α-La was determined. Except for 4f-related structures, the valence-band structures of dhcp α-La and dhcp β-Ce were found to resemble each other. From the band structure, the crystal structure of the La film was confirmed. No evidence for the existence of a 5d-like surface state near the Fermi energy at the point of the surface Brillouin zone was obtained and a 6s band bottom was identified.

Temperature Evolution of Energy Gap and Band Structure in the Superconducting and Pseudogap States of Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_(8＋δ) Superconductor Revealed by Laser-Based Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

We carry out detailed momentum-dependent and temperature-dependent measurements on Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_（8＋δ）（Bi2212） superconductor in the superconducting and pseudogap states by super-high resolution laser-based angleresolved photoemission spectroscopy. The precise determination of the superconducting gap for the nearly optimally doped Bi2212（T_c= 91 K） at low temperature indicates that the momentum-dependence of the superconducting gap deviates from the standard d-wave form（cos（2Φ））. It can be alternatively fitted by including a high-order term（cos（6Φ）） in which the next nearest-neighbor interaction is considered. We find that the band structure near the antinodal region smoothly evolves across the pseudogap temperature without a signature of band reorganization which is distinct from that found in Bi_2Sr_2CuO_（6＋δ） superconductors. This indicates that the band reorganization across the pseudogap temperature is not a universal behavior in cuprate superconductors.These results provide new insights in understanding the nature of the superconducting gap and pseudogap in high-temperature cuprate superconductors.

Probing angle-resolved reflection signatures of intralayer and interlayer excitons in monolayer and bilayer MoS_(2)

Strongly bound excitons in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides offer many opportunities to reveal the underlying physics of basic quasiparticles and many-body effects in the two-dimensional(2D)limit.Comprehensive reflection investigation on band-edge exciton transitions is essential to exploring wealthy light–matter interactions in the emerging 2D semiconductors,whereas angle-resolved reflection(ARR)characteristics of intralayer and interlayer excitons in 2D MoS_(2)layers remain unclear.Herein,we report ARR spectroscopic features of A,B,interlayer excitons in monolayer(ML)and bilayer(BL)MoS_(2)on three kinds of photonic substrates,involving distinct exciton–photon interactions.In a BL MoS_(2)on a protected silver mirror,the interlayer exciton with one-third amplitude of A exciton appears at 0.05 eV above the A exciton energy,exhibiting an angleinsensitive energy dispersion.When ML and BL MoS_(2)lie on a SiO_(2)-covered silicon,the broad trapped-photon mode weakly couples with the reflection bands of A and B excitons by the Fano resonance effect,causing the asymmetric lineshapes and the redshifted energies.After transferring MoS_(2)layers onto a one-dimensional photonic crystal,two high-lying branches of B-exciton polaritons are formed by the interactions between B excitons and Bragg photons,beyond the weak-coupling regime.This work provides ARR spectral benchmarks of A,B,interlayer excitons in ML and BL MoS_(2),gaining insights into the interpretation of light–matter interactions in 2D semiconductors and the design of their devices for practical photonic applications.

Measurement of the electronic structure of a type-Ⅱ topological Dirac semimetal candidate VAI_(3) using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy

Type-Ⅱ topological Dirac semimetals are topological quantum materials hosting Lorentz-symmetry breaking type-Ⅱ Dirac fermions,which are tilted Dirac cones with various exotic physical properties,such as anisotropic chiral anomalies and novel quantum oscillations.Until now,only limited material systems have been confirmed by theory and experiments with the type-Ⅱ Dirac fermions.Here,we investigated the electronic structure of a new type-Ⅱ Dirac semimetal VA1_(3) with angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy.The measured band dispersions are consistent with the theoretical prediction,which suggests the Dirac points are located close to(at about 100 meV above) the Fermi level.Our work demonstrates a new type-Ⅱ Dirac semimetal candidate system with different Dirac node configurations and application potentials.

Measuring bulk and surface acoustic modes in diamond by angle-resolved Brillouin spectroscopy

The acoustic modes of diamond are not only of profound significance for studying its thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, and optical properties, but also play a definite role in the performance of high-frequency and high-power acoustic wave devices. Here, we report on the bulk acoustic waves(BAWs) and surface acoustic waves(SAWs) of single-crystal diamond using angle-resolved Brillouin light scattering(BLS) spectroscopy. We identify two high-speed surface skimming bulk waves(SSBW) with acoustic velocities of 1.277×10^(6) and 1.727×10^(6) cm/s, respectively. Furthermore, we obtain the relationship between the velocity of arbitrary BAWs and that of BAWs propagating along the high-symmetric axis at different incident angles. In the community of diamond-based acoustic studies, our results may provide a valuable reference for fundamental research and device engineering.

Distinct behavior of electronic structure under uniaxial strain in BaFe_(2)As_(2)

We report a study of the electronic structure of BaFe_(2)As_(2) under uniaxial strains using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and transport measurements. Two electron bands at the MY point, with an energy splitting of 50 meV in the strain-free sample, shift downward and merge into each other under a large uniaxial strain, while three hole bands at theГ point shift downward together. However, we also observed an enhancement of the resistance anisotropy under uniaxial strains by electrical transport measurements, implying that the applied strains strengthen the electronic nematic order in BaFe_(2)As_(2). These observations suggest that the splitting of these two electron bands at the MY point is not caused by the nematic order in BaFe_(2)As_(2).