Topological character and magnetism of the Dirac state in Mn-doped Bi2Te3

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Aug 17;109(7):076801. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.076801. Epub 2012 Aug 16.

Abstract

First-principles and model calculations show that the Dirac surface state of the topological insulator Bi(2)Te(3) survives upon moderate Mn doping of the surface layers but can lose its topological character as a function of magnetization direction. The dispersion depends considerably on the direction of the Mn magnetization: for perpendicular magnetization, a gap of 16 meV opens up at the Dirac point; for in-plane magnetization, a tiny gap can be opened or closed in dependence on the magnetization azimuth. The ground state is ferromagnetic, with a critical temperature of 12 K. The results provide a path towards a magnetic control of the topological character of the Dirac surface state and its consequences to spin-dependent transport properties.