Structural instability at the In-terminated surface of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn5

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Driven by reconstruction and relaxation, by the appearance of surface electron states and resonances, the surface properties and related temperature scales of strongly correlated f-materials may differ dramatically from those in the bulk. Applying low energy electron and photoelectron diffraction techniques, momentum-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations, we demonstrate that the In-terminated surface of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn5 experiences a reconstruction with a (2×2)R45∘ ordered structure. The latter appears due to the displacement of In atoms with respect to the Ir sublattice. We show that the electronic structure and related properties of the reconstructed In surface differ remarkably from the unreconstructed case. Namely, the predicted surface states with Rashba-type spin splitting do not appear. Our results suggest surface instabilities in similar quasi-two-dimensional strongly correlated f-materials, for which surface reconstructions can be unveiled by means of diffraction techniques.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number102126
JournalSurfaces and Interfaces
Volume32
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85145797577

Keywords

Research priority areas of TU Dresden

DFG Classification of Subject Areas according to Review Boards