Visualizing the Topologically Induced States of Strongly Correlated Electrons in SmB$_6$

The synergy between strong correlations and a topological invariant is predicted to generate exotic topological order, fractional quasiparticles and new platforms for quantum computation. SmB$_6$ is a promising candidate in which interactions generate an insulating state whose gap arises from heavy fermion hybridization of low lying $f$-states with a Fermi sea. We used spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy to visualize the hybridization of distinct crystal-field-split $f$-levels and the temperature-dependent evolution of an insulating gap spanning the chemical potential. Here, armed with a clear description of the bulk bands, we look within the insulating gap and directly image two dispersing surface states converging to a Dirac point close to the chemical potential. We show that these measurements are consistent with Dirac cones centered at the $X$ and $\Gamma$ points in the surface Brillouin zone corresponding to a strong topological invariant. The observation of topological states induced from strong correlations establishes SmB$_6$ as an exciting playground for exotic physics.