TopoTin project

In the TopoTin project, we will study the electronic band structure of thin-film materials consisting of tin (Sn) and iron (Fe). Such compounds are magnetic and at the same time exhibit interesting electronic structures, including those containing Dirac cones. In the project, we will prepare thin-film FexSny samples using the molecular beam epitaxy method, which allows the deposition of ultrathin layers of crystalline materials with well-controlled thickness, up to single atomic layers. We will characterize the magnetic properties of the films prepared in this way and visualize their electronic band structure using the experimental method of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.

The experimental research will be accompanied by theoretical calculations of the electronic structure. Fe_xSn_y samples are layered materials consisting of single layers of tin atoms (stanene, which is an equivalent of graphene) and a layer composed of iron and tin atoms placed on the so-called Kagome’s network, composed of hexagons surrounded by equilateral triangles. During the project, we will also create new crystals by sequentially depositing stanene layers and a Kagome layer in a specific order. In this way, we will be able to create thin films with new, unexpected and potentially useful  magnetic and electronic properties.