Intrinsic anomalous Hall effect in the surface conduction regime of non-magnetic narrow-gap insulator FeSi
The realization of an intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in the absence of bulk magnetism is a rare phenomenon, requiring a spontaneous breaking of the time-reversal symmetry within the boundary states without a thermodynamic phase transition. Here, we report a robust, zero-field-hysteretic intrinsic AHE confined to the low-temperature surface-conduction regime of the prototypical narrow-gap insulator FeSi. By systematically investigating single crystals grown via Czochralski and chemical vapor transport methods with controlled thicknesses and surface preparations, we demonstrate that low-temperature electrical conductivity correlates with surface roughness and anti-correlates with sample thickness, confirming the emergence of surface conducting states (CSS) below $T_{\rm CSS} \simeq 55-75\text{ K}$. Meanwhile, a robust, field-hysteretic and temperature-independent anomalous Hall conductivity is found below $T_{\rm AHE}\simeq45-70\text{ K}$, implying the presence of magnetic order in the surface conduction regime. Bulk magnetic susceptibility and specific-heat measurements reveal no thermodynamic phase transitions, verifying that the sample interior remains a non-magnetic insulator. Analyses of conductivity scaling and effective three-dimensional conductivity reveal the intrinsic nature of this surface-driven AHE, evidencing the presence of an emergent magnetic order within the metallic surface of a non-magnetic bulk insulator. These findings establish FeSi as a compelling platform to investigate the interplay between strong electron correlations and anomalous Hall transport.