Valence transition and termination-dependent surface states in the topological Kondo semimetal YbPtBi

The Yb-terminated and Bi-terminated (111) surface electronic structure of topological Kondo semimetal YbPtBi is investigated using both density-functional-theory (DFT)-based calculations and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). The cleavage plane is found to be between Yb-layers and Bi-layers in both experiment and theory, and the broken inversion symmetry ensures the Yb-terminated surface does not mix with the Bi-terminated surface. The ARPES results at the Bi-terminated surface are similar to those reported for YPtBi or LuPtBi, and they can be well explained using DFT calculations assuming trivalent Yb atoms. In contrast, at the Yb-terminated surface, a trivalent to divalent transition and reduced hybridization with conduction electrons for the topmost Yb atoms are observed, as a result of reduced bonding with Bi-atoms. In addition, the Fermi arc features induced by the triply degenerate-points, which are missing at the Bi-terminated surface, can be identified at the Yb-terminated surface. Our study demonstrates unambiguously the reconstruction of surface electronic structure due to the valence transition of the lanthanide element in a Kondo lattice system.

Automated summary

The surface electronic structure of the topological Kondo semimetal YbPtBi is investigated using theoretical calculations and experimental measurements. The results reveal a reconstruction of the surface electronic structure due to the valence transition of the lanthanide element, leading to different behaviors at the Yb-terminated and Bi-terminated surfaces.