title: Robustness of topological order and formation of quantum well states in topological insulators exposed to ambient environment.
abstract: The physical property investigation (like transport measurements) and ultimate application of the topological insulators usually involve surfaces that are exposed to ambient environment (1 atm and room temperature). One critical issue is how the topological surface state will behave under such ambient conditions. We report high resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements to directly probe the surface state of the prototypical topological insulators, Bi(2)Se(3) and Bi(2)Te(3), upon exposing to various environments. We find that the topological order is robust even when the surface is exposed to air at room temperature. However, the surface state is strongly modified after such an exposure. Particularly, we have observed the formation of two-dimensional quantum well states near the exposed surface of the topological insulators. These findings provide key information in understanding the surface properties of the topological insulators under ambient environment and in engineering the topological surface state for applications.
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Chaoyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shaolong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Hongming
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Wentao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Haiyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiaowen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Daixiang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mou
authors.forename: Shanyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Ya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Zhuojin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Guodong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaoyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qinjun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Zhimin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shenjin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chuangtian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zuyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: X J
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D001729:Bismuth / Q000737:chemistry; D004583:Electrons; D004777:Environment; D007834:Lasers; D008422:Materials Testing; D010825:Physics / Q000379:methods*; D011789:Quantum Theory; D012643:Selenium / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties; D013691:Tellurium / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D012643:Selenium; D013691:Tellurium; D001729:Bismuth