Spectroscopic evidence of intra-unit-cell charge redistribution in a charge-neutral magnetic topological insulator

Abstract

The magnetic topological insulator MnBi₆Te₁₀ has emerged as a promising candidate for realizing the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), owing to its ability to retain ferromagnetism through precise control of anti-site defects. The next important task for realizing the QAHE is to tune the chemical potential into the energy gap formed by the broken time-reversal symmetry. Here we reveal an intra-unit-cell charge redistribution even when the overall doping suggests a near-charge-neutral condition. By performing time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES) on the optimally 18% Sb-doped MnBi₆Te₁₀, we observe transient surface photovoltage (SPV) effects on both the MnBi₂Te₄ and single-Bi₂Te₃ terminations. Furthermore, we observe a time-dependent splitting of the band structure indicating multiple SPV shifts with different magnitudes. This observation suggests that adjacent plateaus with nominally the same terminating layer exhibit a strong intra-unit-cell charge redistribution, resulting in spontaneous electrical polarization. This is consistent with static micro-ARPES measurements revealing significant doping deviations from the charge-neutral configuration. Our findings underscore the challenges of engineering the family of Mn–Bi–Te materials to realize QAHE purely through chemical doping. Achieving the desired topological quantum phase requires both a uniform carrier doping and a ferromagnetic ground state. Furthermore, the light-induced polarization within each unit cell of ferromagnetic Mn(Bi_0.82Sb_0.18)₆Te₁₀ may open new possibilities for optoelectronic and spintronics.