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arXiv · 2606.01043

Topological Surface States and Anisotropic Magnetotransport in SnSb$_6$Te$_{10}$

Abstract

We have investigated the electronic structure and magnetotransport properties of SnSb$_6$Te$_{10}$ single crystals using density functional theory (DFT), synchrotron-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and quantum transport measurements. Our DFT calculations reveal a clear spin-orbit coupling driven band inversion between the Sb-$p$ and Te-$p$ states together with a non-trivial $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological invariant. The calculated surface-state dispersion and hexagonally warped Fermi surface contours agree well with the ARPES measurements. Temperature-dependent transport measurements indicate dominant electron-phonon scattering, while Hall measurements confirm hole-type carriers with carrier density of the order of $10^{21}$ cm$^{-3}$. Both transverse and longitudinal magnetotransport exhibit weak antilocalization behavior, while Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations observed for $H \parallel c$ yield a Berry phase close to $\pi$, consistent with Dirac-like surface states. Furthermore, angle-dependent magnetotransport measurements reveal pronounced anisotropy associated with an anisotropic Fermi surface topology and mixed bulk-surface transport behavior. Our combined theoretical and experimental results establish SnSb$_6$Te$_{10}$ as a strong topological insulator and a promising platform for investigating topological transport phenomena in layered telluride systems.

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Mohit Mudgal, Subhajit Mandal, Bishal Das, Priyanka Meena, Amarjyoti Choudhury, Vishnu Kumar Tiwari, Yogendra Kumar, Vivek Kumar Malik, Tulika Maitra, Kiyohisa Tanaka, Shinichiro Ideta, Kenya Shimada, Aftab Alam, Jayita Nayak. 2026-05-31. Topological Surface States and Anisotropic Magnetotransport in SnSb$_6$Te$_{10}$. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.01043

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