Anomalous behavior of the electronic structure of (Bi 1 -x In x ) 2 Se 3 across the quantum phase transition from topological to trivial insulator

The authors investigate the electronic and spin structure of topological surface states across a topological quantum phase transition. They find a surface band gap opening at the Dirac point of the topological surface states, giving rise to massive fermions with nonzero spin polarization on both sides of the phase transition. A mechanism of bulk-mediated scattering processes that increase with decreasing spin-orbit coupling strength is proposed as an explanation for the problem of the unconventional transformation between spin Dirac phases.