Interfacing Quantum Spin Hall and Quantum Anomalous Hall insulators: Bi bilayer on MnBi_2Te_4-family materials

Meeting of non-trivial topology with magnetism results in novel phases of matter, such as Quantum Anomalous Hall (QAH) or axion insulator phases. Even more exotic states with high and tunable Chern numbers are expected at the contact of intrinsic magnetic topological insulators (IMTIs) and 2D topological insulators (TIs).Here we synthesize a heterostructures composed of 2D TI and 3D IMTIs, specifically of bismuth bilayer on top of MnBi_2Te_4-family of compounds and study their electronic properties by means of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) and density functional theory (DFT). The epitaxial interface is characterized by hybridized Bi and IMTI electronic states. The Bi bilayer-derived states on different members of MnBi_2Te_4-family of materials are similar, except in the region of mixing with the topological surface states of the substrate. In that region, the new, substrate dependent interface Dirac state is observed. Our ab initio calculations show rich interface phases with emergence of exchange split 1D edge states, making the Bi/IMTI heterostructures promising playground for observation of novel members in the family of quantum Hall effects.