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    Spin-resolved Dirac-like surface states on Bi1Se1

    Kai Huang1, Xingxia Cui1, Xuefeng Hou1, Chengxiang Jiao1, Guangqiang Mei1, Zhengcong Yan2, Zhanfeng Liu3, Yuliang Li3, Yafei Li1 et al.

    Cancan Lou1, Shengtao Cui3, Shijing Tan2, Hongli Guo4,*, Limin Cao1,†, and Min Feng1,5,‡

    • *Contact author: hongliguo@zju.edu.cn
    • †Contact author: limincao@whu.edu.cn
    • ‡Contact author: fengmin@whu.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. B 113, 075411 – Published 9 February, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/frx3-7d9n

    Abstract

    The design of three-dimensional (3D) superlattices from known two-dimensional (2D) and 3D topological units provides a versatile platform for engineering spin-dependent electronic states. While most previous studies have focused on topological surface states (TSS), other prominent spectral features have received less attention. In the prototypical nature superlattice compound Bi1Se1 from the [Bi2]x[(Bi,Sb)2(Te,Se)3]y family, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) reveals a dominant Dirac-like band whose spin texture has remained unresolved. Here, using low-temperature cleavage, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), circular dichroism ARPES (CD-ARPES), and ab initio calculations, we achieve uniformly terminated Bi1Se1(0001) surfaces, enabling unambiguous identification of its spin polarization. We find that this Dirac-like state exhibits a reversed in-plane helical spin texture inherited from the residual electronic remnant of TSS of the Bi2Se3 subunits, persisting on the “topologically” dark (0001) surface despite the absence of global protection. A conduction band minimum showing dichroism consistent with Rashba-type splitting is also observed, similar to the surface state on bulk Bi2Se3. The close correspondence between our findings and those reported in identically terminated Bi1Te1 suggests that such residual-TSS derived Dirac states are a general feature of [Bi2]x[(Bi,Sb)2(Te,Se)3]y superlattices. The experimental–theoretical strategy demonstrated here offers a framework for exploring spin-textured states in engineered topological heterostructures.

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