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arXiv · 2602.09975

Relativistic Effects in LaBi$_2$ Thin Films

Reiley Dorrian·Sungmin Song·Jinwoong Kim·Mizuki Ohno·Seung-Hoon Jhi·Nicholas Kioussis·Joseph Falson
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Abstract

Chemical substitution in crystalline quantum materials is a powerful way to explore the consequences of strong spin-orbit coupling on their structural and electronic properties. In this work, we present an investigation of thin films of the La$\textit{Pn}_2$ ($\textit{Pn}$~=~Sb, Bi) class of layered square-net intermetallics. We report the growth of LaBi$_2$ with a pristine layer-by-layer growth mode, classifying it as a good metal displaying superconductivity at $\sim$0.55~K. Compared to LaSb$_2$, we attribute the enhanced metallic behavior and improved growth dynamics of LaBi$_2$ to significant relativistic corrections to its electronic band structure and the resulting impact on both surface energy and intrinsic phonon scattering.

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Reiley Dorrian, Sungmin Song, Jinwoong Kim, Mizuki Ohno, Seung-Hoon Jhi, Nicholas Kioussis, Joseph Falson. 2026-02-10. Relativistic Effects in LaBi$_2$ Thin Films. https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.09975

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