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  • Three-dimensional nature of...
    Xiong, H; Sobota, J A; Yang, S-L; Soifer, H; Gauthier, A; Lu, M-H; Lv, Y-Y; Yao, S-H; Lu, D; Hashimoto, M; Kirchmann, P S; Chen, Y-F; Shen, Z-X

    Physical review. B, 05/2017, Volume: 95, Issue: 19
    Journal Article

    We have performed a systematic high-momentum-resolution photoemission study on ZrTe5 using 6-eV photon energy. We have measured the band structure near the Γ point, and quantified the gap between the conduction and valence band as 18≤Δ≤29 meV. We have also observed photon-energy-dependent behavior attributed to final-state effects and the three-dimensional (3D) nature of the material's band structure. Our interpretation indicates the gap is intrinsic and reconciles discrepancies on the existence of a topological surface state reported by different studies. The existence of a gap suggests that ZrTe5 is not a 3D strong topological insulator nor a 3D Dirac semimetal. Therefore, our experiment is consistent with ZrTe5 being a 3D weak topological insulator.