Direct observation of Dirac fermion and surface states in
Phys. Rev. B 112, 035122 – Published 8 July, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mpn6-7xj3
Abstract
Dirac band crossing and topological surface states are crucial for verifying and exploring topological materials. As an isostructural heavy fermion Ce-115 compound, exhibits exotic transport behavior potentially arising from linear crossing, although experimental evidence is still lacking. Here, by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations, we reveal the existence of a three-dimensional Dirac point protected by symmetry in . Moreover, surface states merging into the bulk Dirac bands are also observed, akin to most topological semimetals. However, a comprehensive calculation of the system's topological index indicates a trivial invariant, which excludes the existence of strong topological nature in the system. The existence of the three-dimensional Dirac fermion in might contribute to the understanding of the electronic structure in and shed light on the topological nature of the isostructural Ce-115 system.