Electronic structures of topological quantum materials studied by ARPES

Abstract

The unusual bulk and surface electronic structures are among the most important characteristics of topological quantum materials (TQMs) ( Hasan and Kane, 2010 , Lv et al., 2021 , Qi and Zhang, 2011 ). With native momentum and energy resolution, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) can directly visualize these electronic structures and distinguish their bulk or surface origin ( Damascelli et al., 2003 ; Hüfner, 2003 ; Lu et al., 2012 ). In the past decade, ARPES has been widely applied in the search for novel TQMs such as three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TIs), topological crystalline insulators (TCIs), topological semimetals and topological superconductors (TSCs) ( Chen, 2012 ; Chen et al., 2020 ; Lv et al., 2019a , Lv et al., 2021 ; Yang et al., 2018 ; Zhang et al., 2020 ). In this chapter, we first introduce the basic principle of ARPES, then present its application in the study on different types of TQMs. The experimental band structures obtained by ARPES complement the fascinating breakthroughs made by other experimental techniques, which will be detailed in other chapters of the volume.