R. Claessen

Profiling the Interface Electron Gas of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterostructures with Hard X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

The conducting interface of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures has been studied by hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. From the Ti 2p signal and its angle dependence we derive that the thickness of the electron gas is much smaller than the probing depth of 4 nm and that the carrier densities vary with increasing number of LaAlO3 overlayers. Our results point to an electronic reconstruction in the LaAlO3 overlayer as the driving mechanism for the conducting interface and corroborate the recent interpretation of the superconducting ground state as being of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless type.

Electronic structure of 3d-transition-metal oxides : on-site Coulomb repulsion versus covalency

We have performed photoemission and inverse photoemission experiments on a series of 3d-transition-metal oxides with formal ionic configuration from to . The photoemission core-level spectra are analysed in terms of a simple cluster model leading to estimates for the charge-transfer energy , the Coulomb correlation energy , and the hybridization strength V. It is found that the ratio of the correlation energy to the hybridization energy significantly decreases from the late to the early transition metal oxides. This trend is attributed mostly to the increasing number of empty d states in the early transition metals which enhances the effective metal-ligand hybridization. We also compare the experimental valence band spectra with densities of states (DOS) from band-structure calculations. The rather good agreement between the theoretical DOS and the measured single-particle excitation spectra of the early 3d-transition-metal oxides as opposed to the failure of the one-electron description for most of the late transition metal oxides supports the results of the cluster model analysis.

Strong hybridization in vanadium oxides: evidence from photoemission and absorption spectroscopy

We present x-ray photoemission spectra of the vanadium oxides , and , and their analysis in terms of a simple cluster model based on the Anderson impurity Hamiltonian. The electronic structure of these materials is characterized by a strong V 3d-O 2p hybridization energy which exceeds the energy scales related to on-site Coulomb correlation and metal-ligand charge transfer. This result is at variance with the usual Mott-Hubbard picture, but agrees with recent studies of other early 3d transition metal compounds. The V 3d ground-state occupations obtained by the cluster-model analysis are considerably higher than the values derived from the formal valencies. Covalency also affects the exchange splitting observed in the V 3s core-hole spectra. X-ray absorption measurements and resonant photoemission spectroscopy at the V 2p-3d threshold provide further evidence for a strong V 3d-O 2p coupling.

Spectroscopic signatures of spin-charge separation in the quasi-one-dimensional organic conductor TTF-TCNQ.

The electronic structure of the quasi-one-dimensional organic conductor TTF-TCNQ is studied by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). The experimental spectra reveal significant discrepancies to band theory. We demonstrate that the measured dispersions can be consistently mapped onto the one-dimensional Hubbard model at finite doping. This interpretation is further supported by a remarkable transfer of spectral weight as a function of temperature. The ARPES data thus show spectroscopic signatures of spin-charge separation on an energy scale of the conduction bandwidth.

Bismuthene on a SiC substrate: A candidate for a high-temperature quantum spin Hall material

Making a large-gap topological insulator Although of interest to basic research, topological insulators (TIs) have not yet lived up to their technological potential. This is partly because their protected surface-edge state usually lives within a narrow energy gap, with its exotic transport properties overwhelmed by the ordinary bulk material. Reis et al. show that a judicious choice of materials can make the gap wide enough for the topological properties to be apparent at room temperature. Numerical calculations indicate that a monolayer of Bismuth grown on SiC(0001) is a two-dimensional TI with a large energy gap. The researchers fabricated such a heterostructure and characterized it using scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The size of the experimentally measured gap was consistent with the calculations. Science, this issue p. 287 Scanning tunneling spectroscopy indicates a large energy gap and conducting edge states, consistent with calculations. Quantum spin Hall materials hold the promise of revolutionary devices with dissipationless spin currents but have required cryogenic temperatures owing to small energy gaps. Here we show theoretically that a room-temperature regime with a large energy gap may be achievable within a paradigm that exploits the atomic spin-orbit coupling. The concept is based on a substrate-supported monolayer of a high–atomic number element and is experimentally realized as a bismuth honeycomb lattice on top of the insulating silicon carbide substrate SiC(0001). Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we detect a gap of ~0.8 electron volt and conductive edge states consistent with theory. Our combined theoretical and experimental results demonstrate a concept for a quantum spin Hall wide-gap scenario, where the chemical potential resides in the global system gap, ensuring robust edge conductance.

Direct k-space mapping of the electronic structure in an oxide-oxide interface.

The interface between LaAlO(3) and SrTiO(3) hosts a two-dimensional electron system of itinerant carriers, although both oxides are band insulators. Interface ferromagnetism coexisting with superconductivity has been found and attributed to local moments. Experimentally, it has been established that Ti 3d electrons are confined to the interface. Using soft x-ray angle-resolved resonant photoelectron spectroscopy we have directly mapped the interface states in k space. Our data demonstrate a charge dichotomy. A mobile fraction contributes to Fermi surface sheets, whereas a localized portion at higher binding energies is tentatively attributed to electrons trapped by O vacancies in the SrTiO(3). While photovoltage effects in the polar LaAlO(3) layers cannot be excluded, the apparent absence of surface-related Fermi surface sheets could also be fully reconciled in a recently proposed electronic reconstruction picture where the built-in potential in the LaAlO(3) is compensated by surface O vacancies serving also as a charge reservoir.

On the Superconducting Energy Gap in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 Investigated by High-Resolution Angle-Resolved Photoemission

The electronic structure of high-Tc Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 single crystals in the vicinity of the Fermi level EF is determined down to about 0.7Tc by high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy applying HeI and synchrotron radiation. Spectra taken with 18 eV photon energy at an emission angle of 9° reveal a clear Fermi edge T > Tc. For T < Tc the emission intensity changes distinctly—at EF it decreases whereas it increases at about 100 meV below EF—accompanied by a clear shift of the emission onset to higher binding energy. These observations can be consistently explained by the opening of an energy gap of about 30 meV in the superconducting quasi-particle density of states, yielding a ratio Δ (0)/kB Tc about twice as large as the BCS value indicating that Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 is a strong-coupling superconductor.

PHOTOEMISSION SPECTROSCOPY IN METALS : BAND STRUCTURE-FERMI SURFACE-SPECTRAL FUNCTION

Abstract Angular resolved photoelectron spectroscopy plays a key role in the study of the electronic structure of solids. We discuss recent methodical developments in its application to metallic systems. These include a new procedure for absolute E ( k ) band structure determination, which allows complete control of the three-dimensional wave-vector k , as well as a method for Fermi surface mapping based on measurements of the angular photoelectron intensity distribution. Going beyond a simple one-electron picture, we examine under which conditions the photoemission signal can be interpreted in terms of the electron removal spectrum of an interacting electron system and discuss an experimental test on a suitable Fermi liquid metal, which supports this many-body interpretation.

Elemental topological insulator with tunable Fermi level: strained α-Sn on InSb(001).

We report on the epitaxial fabrication and electronic properties of a topological phase in strained α-Sn on InSb. The topological surface state forms in the presence of an unusual band order not based on direct spin-orbit coupling, as shown in density functional and GW slab-layer calculations. Angle-resolved photoemission including spin detection probes experimentally how the topological spin-polarized state emerges from the second bulk valence band. Moreover, we demonstrate the precise control of the Fermi level by dopants.

New model system for a one-dimensional electron liquid: self-organized atomic gold chains on Ge(001).

Unique electronic properties of self-organized Au atom chains on Ge(001) in novel c(8 x 2) long-range order are revealed by scanning tunneling microscopy. Along the nanowires an exceptionally narrow conduction path exists which is virtually decoupled from the substrate. It is laterally confined to the ultimate limit of single atom dimension, and is strictly separated from its neighbors, as not previously reported. The resulting tunneling conductivity shows a dramatic inhomogeneity of 2 orders of magnitude. The atom chains thus represent an outstandingly close approach to a one-dimensional electron liquid.