Surface scattering via bulk continuum states in the 3D topological insulator Bi2Se3

Phys Rev Lett. 2011 Jul 29;107(5):056803. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.056803. Epub 2011 Jul 27.

Abstract

We have performed scanning tunneling microscopy and differential tunneling conductance (dI/dV) mapping for the surface of the three-dimensional topological insulator Bi(2)Se(3). The fast Fourier transformation applied to the dI/dV image shows an electron interference pattern near Dirac node despite the general belief that the backscattering is well suppressed in the bulk energy gap region. The comparison of the present experimental result with theoretical surface and bulk band structures shows that the electron interference occurs through the scattering between the surface states near the Dirac node and the bulk continuum states.