Magnetism-induced massive Dirac spectra and topological defects in the surface state of Cr-doped Bi_2Se_3-bilayer topological insulators

Abstract

Proximity-induced magnetic effects on the surface Dirac spectra of topological insulators are investigated by scanning tunneling spectroscopic studies of bilayer structures consisting of undoped Bi_2Se_3 thin films on top of Cr-doped Bi_2Se_3 layers. For thickness of the top Bi_2Se_3 layer equal to or smaller than 3 quintuple layers, a spatially inhomogeneous surface spectral gap Δ opens up below a characteristic temperature T_c^(2D), which is much higher than the bulk Curie temperature T_c^(3D) determined from the anomalous Hall resistance. The mean value and spatial homogeneity of the gap Δ generally increase with increasing c-axis magnetic field (H) and increasing Cr doping level (x), suggesting that the physical origin of this surface gap is associated with proximity-induced c-axis ferromagnetism. On the other hand, the temperature (T) dependence of Δ is non-monotonic, showing initial increase below T_c^(2D), which is followed by a 'dip' and then rises again, reaching maximum at T ≪ T_c^(3D). These phenomena may be attributed to proximity magnetism induced by two types of contributions with different temperature dependences: a three-dimensional contribution from the bulk magnetism that dominates at low T, and a two-dimensional contribution associated with the RKKY interactions mediated by surface Dirac fermions, which dominates at T_c^(3D) ≪ T < T_c^(2D). In addition to the observed proximity magnetism, spatially localized sharp resonant spectra are found along the boundaries of gapped and gapless regions. These spectral resonances are long-lived at H = 0, with their occurrences being most prominent near T_c^(2D) and becoming suppressed under strong c-axis magnetic fields. We attribute these phenomena to magnetic impurity-induced topological defects in the spin texture of surface Dirac fermions, with the magnetic impurities being isolated Cr impurities distributed near the interface of the bilayer system. The long-term stability of these topologically protected two-level states may find potential applications to quantum information technology.

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