Observation a Chiral Electronic Continuum in the Giant Rashba Spin-Split System, BiTeI

ORAL

Abstract

In BiTeI, the Rashba spin-orbit interaction spin-splits the electronic dispersion in the bulk of the material. The conduction bands cross the Fermi energy leading to a continuum of electronic excitations between spin-polarized sub-bands called the “Rashba continuum.” In our study, we used polarization-resolved Raman scattering to probe the Rashba continuum. We discovered that the continuum appears in the pseudovector symmetry channel, providing direct experimental evidence that the excitations possess chiral symmetry. The lineshape of the continuum is strongly dependent on the incident photon energy. We ran simulations of the resonant Raman scattering spectra for the Rashba continuum using a 3-band model. The calculations of resonant inter-band transitions closely reproduce the lineshape of the chiral Raman signal.

*Work at Rutgers was supported by NSF Grant No. DMR-1709161.

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Presenters

  • Alexander Lee

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University

Authors

  • Alexander Lee

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University

  • Bo Peng

    • Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge

  • Kai Du

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University

  • Hsiang-Hsi Kung

    • University of British Columbia
    • Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia

  • Bartomeu Monserrat

    • Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge
    • Univ of Cambridge

  • Sang-Wook Cheong

    • Rutgers University, New Brunswick
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University-New Brunswick
    • Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials, Rutgers University
    • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
    • Rutgers University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University
    • Center for Quantum Materials Synthesis, Rutgers University
    • Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers

  • Girsh Blumberg

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University-New Brunswick
    • Rutgers University, New Brunswick
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University