Jürg Osterwalder

A tunable topological insulator in the spin helical Dirac transport regime

Helical Dirac fermions—charge carriers that behave as massless relativistic particles with an intrinsic angular momentum (spin) locked to its translational momentum—are proposed to be the key to realizing fundamentally new phenomena in condensed matter physics. Prominent examples include the anomalous quantization of magneto-electric coupling, half-fermion states that are their own antiparticle, and charge fractionalization in a Bose–Einstein condensate, all of which are not possible with conventional Dirac fermions of the graphene variety. Helical Dirac fermions have so far remained elusive owing to the lack of necessary spin-sensitive measurements and because such fermions are forbidden to exist in conventional materials harbouring relativistic electrons, such as graphene or bismuth. It has recently been proposed that helical Dirac fermions may exist at the edges of certain types of topologically ordered insulators—materials with a bulk insulating gap of spin–orbit origin and surface states protected against scattering by time-reversal symmetry—and that their peculiar properties may be accessed provided the insulator is tuned into the so-called topological transport regime. However, helical Dirac fermions have not been observed in existing topological insulators. Here we report the realization and characterization of a tunable topological insulator in a bismuth-based class of material by combining spin-imaging and momentum-resolved spectroscopies, bulk charge compensation, Hall transport measurements and surface quantum control. Our results reveal a spin-momentum locked Dirac cone carrying a non-trivial Berry’s phase that is nearly 100 per cent spin-polarized, which exhibits a tunable topological fermion density in the vicinity of the Kramers point and can be driven to the long-sought topological spin transport regime. The observed topological nodal state is shown to be protected even up to 300 K. Our demonstration of room-temperature topological order and non-trivial spin-texture in stoichiometric Bi2Se3.Mx (Mx indicates surface doping or gating control) paves the way for future graphene-like studies of topological insulators, and applications of the observed spin-polarized edge channels in spintronic and computing technologies possibly at room temperature.Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA Department of Physics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232, Villigen, Switzerland Physik-Institut, Universität Zürich-Irchel, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA Princeton Center for Complex Materials, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544, USA

Observation of Unconventional Quantum Spin Textures in Topological Insulators

D. Hsieh, Y. Xia, L. Wray, D. Qian, A. Pal, J. H. Dil, 3 F. Meier, 3 J. Osterwalder, G. Bihlmayer, C. L. Kane, Y. S. Hor, R. J. Cava, and M. Z. Hasan 7 Joseph Henry Laboratories of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232, Villigen, Switzerland Physik-Institut, Universität Zürich-Irchel, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA Princeton Center for Complex Materials, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA (Dated: First submitted to Science on July 22, 2008)A topologically ordered material is characterized by a rare quantum organization of electrons that evades the conventional spontaneously broken symmetry–based classification of condensed matter. Exotic spin-transport phenomena, such as the dissipationless quantum spin Hall effect, have been speculated to originate from a topological order whose identification requires a spin-sensitive measurement, which does not exist to this date in any system. Using Mott polarimetry, we probed the spin degrees of freedom and demonstrated that topological quantum numbers are completely determined from spin texture–imaging measurements. Applying this method to Sb and Bi1–xSbx, we identified the origin of its topological order and unusual chiral properties. These results taken together constitute the first observation of surface electrons collectively carrying a topological quantum Berrys phase and definite spin chirality, which are the key electronic properties component for realizing topological quantum computing bits with intrinsic spin Hall–like topological phenomena.

Large Tunable Rashba Spin Splitting of a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas in Bi2Se3

We report a Rashba spin splitting of a two-dimensional electron gas in the topological insulator Bi(2)Se(3) from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We further demonstrate its electrostatic control, and show that spin splittings can be achieved which are at least an order-of-magnitude larger than in other semiconductors. Together these results show promise for the miniaturization of spintronic devices to the nanoscale and their operation at room temperature.

Topological Phase Transition and Texture Inversion in a Tunable Topological Insulator

Two types of bulk insulator are realized in the same family of compounds through chemical doping. The recently discovered three-dimensional or bulk topological insulators are expected to exhibit exotic quantum phenomena. It is believed that a trivial insulator can be twisted into a topological state by modulating the spin-orbit interaction or the crystal lattice, driving the system through a topological quantum phase transition. By directly measuring the topological quantum numbers and invariants, we report the observation of a phase transition in a tunable spin-orbit system, BiTl(S1–δSeδ)2, in which the topological state formation is visualized. In the topological state, vortex-like polarization states are observed to exhibit three-dimensional vectorial textures, which collectively feature a chirality transition as the spin momentum–locked electrons on the surface go through the zero carrier density point. Such phase transition and texture inversion can be the physical basis for observing fractional charge (±e/2) and other fractional topological phenomena.

Comparison of electronic structure and template function of single-layer graphene and a hexagonal boron nitride nanomesh on Ru(0001)

Thomas Brugger, Sebastian Günther, Bin Wang, Hugo Dil, 4 Marie-Laure Bocquet, 2 Jürg Osterwalder, Joost Wintterlin, and Thomas Greber ∗ Physik-Institut, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland Department Chemie, Ludwig-Maximilian Universität, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, D-81377 München, Germany Université de Lyon, Laboratoire de Chimie, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, France Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen, Switzerland (Dated: July 29, 2008)

Surface Trapping of Atoms and Molecules with Dipole Rings

The trapping of single molecules on surfaces without the formation of strong covalent bonds is a prerequisite for molecular recognition and the exploitation of molecular function. On nanopatterned surfaces, molecules may be selectively trapped and addressed. In a boron nitride nanomesh formed on Rh(111), the pattern consisted of holes 2 nanometers in diameter on a hexagonal superlattice, separated by about 3 nanometers. The trapping was further investigated with density functional theory and the photoemission of adsorbed xenon, where the holes were identified as regions of low work function. The analysis showed that the trapping potential was localized at the rims of the holes.

Supramolecular Assemblies Formed on an Epitaxial Graphene Superstructure

The seminal work of Novoselov et al. has stimulated great interest in the controllable growth of epitaxial graphene monolayers. While initial research was focussed on the use of SiC wafers, the promise of transition metals as substrates has also been demonstrated and both approaches are scalable to large-area production. 12] The growth of graphene on transition metals such as Ru, Rh and Ir leads to a moir!-like superstructure, 10,12,13] similar to that observed for BN monolayers. Here we show that such a superstructure can be used to control the organization of extended supramolecular nanostructures. The formation of two-dimensional supramolecular arrays has received increasing attention over recent years primarily due to potential applications in nanostructure fabrication as well as fundamental interest in self-assembly processes. Such studies can be highly dependent on the nature of the substrate used, and the interplay between surface and adsorbed supramolecular structure is a topic of significant conjecture. Until now metallic surfaces or highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) have typically been the surfaces of choice for such studies. Our results demonstrate that graphene is compatible with, and can strongly influence molecular selfassembly. We have studied the adsorption of perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI) and related derivatives on a graphene monolayer grown on a Rh(111) heteroepitaxial thin film (Figure 1). In particular, we show that a near-commensur-

Spin-polarized Fermi surface mapping

Abstract The magnetic and electronic properties of itinerant ferromagnets and their interplay have been studied in the last few years by spin resolved electron spectroscopy on one hand and by high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission experiments on the other. We discuss how the two approaches can be combined in a high resolution electron spectrometer with spin resolution for angle-scanned Fermi surface mapping experiments. We have built this new instrument, which allows an advance into a deeper understanding of magnetic thin film or multilayer systems, where band structures become intricately dense in momentum space and where the magnetization direction can change from layer to layer. Spin-resolution is thus required to arrive at a correct assignment of spectral features. A fully three-dimensional polarimeter makes the instrument ‘complete’ in the sense that all properties of the photoelectron are measured. First experiments on Ni(111) conclusively confirm previous band and spin assignments at the Fermi level and demonstrate the correct functioning of the apparatus.

A photoelectron spectrometer for k-space mapping above the Fermi level

The setup of an electron spectrometer for angle-resolved photoemission is described. A sample goniometer offers the opportunity for angle scanned photoemission over 2π solid angle above the surface. A monochromatized high flux He discharge photon source is exploited to measure thermally populated electronic states above the Fermi level EF. At energies greater than EF+5kBT the signal from a constant density of states declines below the photoelectron background caused by photons with higher energies than He Iα (21.2 eV). For He IIα (40.8 eV) the residual photoelectron background is lower and photoemission up to 6kBT above EF can be performed. Data showing two cuts through the Fermi surface of silver are presented. Furthermore the dispersion of the Shockley surface state on Ag (111) above the Fermi energy is quantified.

Energy distribution curves of ultrafast laser-induced field emission and their implications for electron dynamics

Hirofumi Yanagisawa, Matthias Hengsberger, Dominik Leuenberger, Martin Klöckner, Christian Hafner, Thomas Greber, and Jürg Osterwalder Physik Institut, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland Laboratory for Electromagnetic Fields and Microwave Electronics, ETH Zürich, Gloriastrasse 35, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland Present address: Department of Physics, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 16, CH-8093 Zürich, Swizerland (Dated: January 15, 2013)