Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission on the topological Kondo insulator candidate: SmB6

Abstract

Topological Kondo insulators are a new class of topological insulators in which metallic surface states protected by topological invariants reside in the bulk band gap at low temperatures. Unlike other 3D topological insulators, a truly insulating bulk state, which is critical for potential applications in next-generation electronic devices, is guaranteed by many-body effects in the topological Kondo insulator. Furthermore, the system has strong electron correlations that can serve as a testbed for interacting topological theories. This topical review focuses on recent advances in the study of SmB6, the most promising candidate for a topological Kondo insulator, from the perspective of spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with highlights of some important transport results.