Time-reversal symmetry breaking in the Fe-chalcogenide superconductors.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33436408.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.2007241118 and PMC identifier 7826412.
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Abstract
Topological superconductivity has been sought in a variety of heterostructure systems, the interest being that a material displaying such a phenomenon could prove to be the ideal platform to support Majorana fermions, which in turn could be the basis for advanced qubit technologies. Recently, the high-T<sub>c</sub> family of superconductors, FeTe<sub>1-x</sub>Se<sub>x</sub>, have been shown to exhibit the property of topological superconductivity and further, evidence has been found for the presence of Majorana fermions. We have studied the interplay of topology, magnetism, and superconductivity in the FeTe<sub>1-<i>x</i></sub> Se <sub><i>x</i></sub> family using high-resolution laser-based photoemission. At the bulk superconducting transition, a gap opens at the chemical potential as expected. However, a second gap is observed to open at the Dirac point in the topological surface state. The associated mass acquisition in the topological state points to time-reversal symmetry breaking, probably associated with the formation of ferromagnetism in the surface layer. The presence of intrinsic ferromagnetism combined with strong spin-orbit coupling provides an ideal platform for a range of exotic topological phenomena.