Non-Trivial Topological Phase in the Sn1-xInxTe Superconductor
Abstract
Whereas SnTe is a inverted band gap topological crystalline insulator, the topological phase of the alloy Sn1-xInxTe, a topological superconductor candidate, has not been clearly studied so far. Our calculations show that the Sn1-xInxTe band gap reduces by increasing the In content, becoming a metal for x>0.1. However, the band inversion at the fcc L point for both gapped and gapless phases has been maintained. Furthermore, the computed topological invariant shows a non-trivial phase with a mirror Chern number nM = -2 for In concentrations of x=0.03125, x=0.125, and x=0.25. We also identify pairs of topologically protected states on the (001) surface of Sn1-xInxTe with +/- i mirror eigenvalues. The character of these topological states is affected by In dopant. As the In content x increases, the Dirac crossing point moves further away from the L point, and the Fermi velocity of the topological states increases significantly. Our results demonstrate a non-trivial topological phase for the superconductor Sn1-xInxTe, and provide a detailed description of the topological state properties.