Anomalous dressing of Dirac fermions in the topological surface state of Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and Cu-doped Bi2Se3

Phys Rev Lett. 2013 May 24;110(21):217601. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.217601. Epub 2013 May 23.

Abstract

Quasiparticle dynamics on the topological surface state of Bi(2(3), Bi(2)Te(3), and superconducting Cu(x)Bi(2)Se(3) are studied by 7 eV laser-based angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We find strong mode couplings in the Dirac-cone surface states at energies of ~3 and ~15-20 meV associated with an exceptionally large coupling constant λ of ~3, which is one of the strongest ever reported for any material. This result is compatible with the recent observation of a strong Kohn anomaly in the surface phonon dispersion of Bi(2)Se(3), but it appears that the theoretically proposed "spin-plasmon" excitations realized in helical metals are also playing an important role. Intriguingly, the ~3 meV mode coupling is found to be enhanced in the superconducting state of Cu(x)Bi(2)Se(3).