Ro-Ya Liu

Dirac Fermions in Borophene

Honeycomb structures of group IV elements can host massless Dirac fermions with nontrivial Berry phases. Their potential for electronic applications has attracted great interest and spurred a broad search for new Dirac materials especially in monolayer structures. We present a detailed investigation of the β_{12} sheet, which is a borophene structure that can form spontaneously on a Ag(111) surface. Our tight-binding analysis revealed that the lattice of the β_{12} sheet could be decomposed into two triangular sublattices in a way similar to that for a honeycomb lattice, thereby hosting Dirac cones. Furthermore, each Dirac cone could be split by introducing periodic perturbations representing overlayer-substrate interactions. These unusual electronic structures were confirmed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and validated by first-principles calculations. Our results suggest monolayer boron as a new platform for realizing novel high-speed low-dissipation devices.

Direct evidence of metallic bands in a monolayer boron sheet

The search for metallic boron allotropes has attracted great attention in the past decades and recent theoretical works predict the existence of metallicity in monolayer boron. Here, we synthesize the \b{eta}12-sheet monolayer boron on a Ag(111) surface and confirm the presence of metallic boron-derived bands using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The Fermi surface is composed of one electron pocket at the S point and a pair of hole pockets near the X point, which is supported by the first-principles calculations. The metallic boron allotrope in \b{eta}12 sheet opens the way to novel physics and chemistry in material science.

Spin texture in type-II Weyl semimetal WTe 2

We determine the band structure and spin texture of

Proving Nontrivial Topology of Pure Bismuth by Quantum Confinement

{\mathrm{WTe}}_{2}

Visualizing Type-II Weyl Points in Tungsten Ditelluride by Quasiparticle Interference

by spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SARPES). With the support of first-principles calculations, we reveal the existence of spin polarization of both the Fermi arc surface states and bulk Fermi pockets. Our results support

Interface electronic structure at the topological insulator–ferrimagnetic insulator junction

{\mathrm{WTe}}_{2}

Relaxations of the surface photovoltage effect on the atomically controlled semiconductor surfaces studied by time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

to be a type-II Weyl semimetal candidate and provide important information to understand its extremely large and nonsaturating magnetoresistance.

Oscillatory relaxation of surface photovoltage on a silicon surface

The topology of pure Bi is controversial because of its very small (∼10  meV) band gap. Here we perform high-resolution angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy measurements systematically on 14-202 bilayer Bi films. Using high-quality films, we succeed in observing quantized bulk bands with energy separations down to ∼10  meV. Detailed analyses on the phase shift of the confined wave functions precisely determine the surface and bulk electronic structures, which unambiguously show nontrivial topology. The present results not only prove the fundamental property of Bi but also introduce a capability of the quantum-confinement approach.

Real-Time Observation of Reaction Processes of CO2 on Cu(997) by Ambient-Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) are classified into two types, type I and II, according to the topology of the Weyl point, where the electron and hole pockets touch each other. Tungsten ditelluride (WTe2) has garnered a great deal of attention as a strong candidate to be a type-II WSM. However, the Weyl points for WTe2 are located above the Fermi level, which has prevented us from identifying the locations and the connection to the Fermi arc surface states by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Here, we present experimental proof that WTe2 is a type-II WSM. We measured energy-dependent quasiparticle interference patterns with a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope, revealing the position of the Weyl point and its connection with the Fermi arc surface states, in agreement with prior theoretical predictions. Our results provide an answer to this crucial question and stimulate further exploration of the characteristics of WSMs.

Anisotropic effective mass approximation model to calculate multiple subband structures at wide-gap semiconductor surfaces: Application to accumulation layers of SrTiO3 and ZnO

An interface electron state at the junction between a three-dimensional topological insulator film, Bi2Se3, and a ferrimagnetic insulator film, Y3Fe5O12 (YIG), was investigated by measurements of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray absorption magnetic circular dichroism. The surface state of the Bi2Se3 film was directly observed and localized 3d spin states of the Fe3+ in the YIG film were confirmed. The proximity effect is likely described in terms of the exchange interaction between the localized Fe 3d electrons in the YIG film and delocalized electrons of the surface and bulk states in the Bi2Se3 film.