Anisotropic Surface State Band Splitting and Low Energy Flat Bands in 3d Correlated Topological Kondo Insulator Candidate FeSb$_2$

Abstract

FeSb$_2$ is a correlated narrow-gap semiconductor that has often been discussed as a $3d$-electron Kondo insulator candidate and exhibits a low-temperature resistance plateau with possible surface-dominated conduction. We carried out a systematic high-resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study of FeSb$_2$ to investigate its electronic structure. The surface states around the zone center show clear anisotropic splitting. When the temperature is lowered into the resistance plateau regime ($<6\,\mathrm{K}$), the surface states remain robust, but their photoemission peaks become much sharper and gain spectral weight. Two distinct flat-band-like features are observed at low energy. One is located at $\sim$127 meV below the Fermi level, which exists only along a specific high-symmetry direction, while the other is located at $\sim$70 meV below the Fermi level and is present along all the measured momentum cuts around the zone center. These results provide new information to understand the renormalization effects, the resistance plateau, and the topological nature of FeSb$_2$.