Graz Advanced School of Science: Physics Colloquium of the University of Graz and the Graz University of Technology

Vortragender: Dr. Emile Rienks, TU Dresden und IFW Dresden

Abstract:

The prediction that Kondo insulators could be topologically non-trivial [1] renewed interest in SmB6, a material that already earned a reputation as the first mixed valence system and the first Kondo insulator. Dzero et al.’s proposal [1] connects two of the most topical fields in solid state research: Topological insulators and strongly correlated, heavy Fermion materials. In addition, robust surface conductivity —inherent to a topological insulator— would elegantly explain SmB6’s anomalous transport properties; an issue that has puzzled researchers for decades [2].

The notion that samarium hexaboride is a topological Kondo insulator is seemingly confirmed by recent experiments: The material is found to be a surface-only conductor at low temperature and surface states have been found at the expected locations. In this talk we will present crucial new insights from high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy [3] and discuss the implications.

[1] M. Dzero, et al., Physical Review Letters, 104 (2010) 106408.

[2] See P. S. Riseborough, Advances in Physics, 49 (2000) 257–320 and references therein.

[3] First results: P. Hlawenka et al., ArXiv: 1502.01542v1.