Observation of symmetry-protected Dirac states in nonsymmorphic α -antimonene

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) Dirac states with linear band dispersion have attracted enormous interest since the discovery of graphene. However, to date, 2D Dirac semimetals are still very rare due to the fact that 2D Dirac states are generally fragile against perturbations such as spin-orbit couplings. Nonsymmorphic crystal symmetries can enforce the formation of Dirac nodes, providing a new route to establishing symmetry-protected Dirac states in 2D materials. Here we report the symmetry-protected Dirac states in nonsymmorphic alpha-antimonene. The antimonene was synthesized by the method of molecular beam epitaxy. Two Dirac cones with large anisotropy were observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The Dirac state in alpha-antimonene is of spin-orbit type in contrast to the spinless Dirac states in graphene. The result extends the 'graphene' physics into a new family of 2D materials where spin-orbit coupling is present.